


Mass Effect Reborn.

by gothikuk



Series: The Calen Shepard Chronicles [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F, Mass Effect 2, Mindoir, Sole Survivor (Mass Effect)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2018-03-15 11:50:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3446114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gothikuk/pseuds/gothikuk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Calen Shepard is believed deceased the galaxy mourns, but, she is rebuilt by Cerberus, to face a new threat, The Collectors. Thing is Calen is not the same entirely, its like a piece of her is missing and being a Spectre and one of the few Marines to gain the acclaimed N7 moniker is what seems to keep her going. How long before dealing with what has happened to her takes over the real woman she is?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

MASS EFECT

REBORN

Commander Calen Hannah Shepard.

 

Mass Effect and the characters within belong to Bioware and EA games, all I own is Calen Shepard and the odd OC or three or four. I am making no money from this and this is purely for entertainment value. 

 

PROLOGUE

 

Two and a half years before.

 

Calen Shepard opened one sleepy grey eye and finally the other as her vision adjusted from being in a deep and contented sleep to waking up. That moment that the bliss of sleep was broken by the thoughts of the waking world. She moved her arm across to the other side of the bed and smiled as she felt the warm soft skin of the woman beside her. 

It had been Six months since they had defeated Saren, Sovereign and the Geth. She had offered to take her new friends home, but they had refused. Tali'Zorah had become such a part of the Engineering crew, Calen was worried that Adams might mutiny if she returned to the Flotilla. Of course Tali would have to return at some point, but for now she was happy to remain as part of Adams crew, and Greg had promoted her to assistant Chief Engineer. Everyone adored Tali, even Ashley was over protective of the Quarian, to the point that on a recent shore leave on Mindoir, Shepards home colony, she almost glared the skin off anyone who so much as looked at Tali wrong.

Garrus too had stayed, unsure as to whether he wanted to return to C-Sec after all the fun he had whilst hunting down Saren and the Geth. Wrex, well Wrex was happy to travel along with his new friends and those that had become more than that to him. In fact it was not unusual to see him and Garrus sparring together, even teaching Shepard a few things that she did not know about. A bond had forged between them all, even Ashley had relaxed more around the Aliens on her crew and it was not unusual to see her having a wrestling match with Garrus, and Wrex observing making his usual sarcastic remarks. 

However, as much as Calen had grown to love the Krogan, Turian and Quarian, none of them held her heart quite as much as the woman beside her. She had promised Liara that she would return her to a Prothean dig site, Liara had refused to go. Telling Shepard that she had been rather spoilt by the guns, explosions and besides, they had been sent on Geth patrol duty, some of those patrols took them by former Prothean worlds which meant that with an archaeological team from the Normandy Liara had gone anyway. Joker had remarked that you might take the Asari from Thessia, but you couldn't take the Archaeologist out of the Asari. 

It had come as no surprise to the crew that Liara spent her nights in the Commanders quarters, and none of them battered an eyelid. In truth it had been Pressley that had quietly suggested they share the Commanders quarters. Seeing as the attempts at sneaking around had failed, miserably. Liara had gone a slight hue of red, Ash had remarked that it was nice to see Miss Prothean expert blush. 

Now Calen couldn't imagine not waking up to the sight of Liara in the morning, it seemed to set her day just right. She closed her eyes again, today was her off duty day and later she would be having a friendly firearms contest with Wrex, Ash and Garrus. Now though she just wanted a couple more minutes. 

She opened her eyes again as she felt Liara move and watched as she moved gracefully from their bed and cross to the coffee machine, set it for two mugs and pulled a gown around her. 

“Did you have to cover such a gorgeous body right at this moment?” Calen asked, her voice at the tone that Liara loved to hear, her morning voice was husky and a little deeper than normal. 

Liara glanced over her shoulder and said nothing until she had got Calens mug, crossed to her side of the bed and set it on the table. She perched herself on the edge of the bed, leant forward and brushed her lips lightly across the Commanders. Calen sat herself up and held Liaras hand for a moment.

“You know, we are meeting the Flotilla at the end of the month” Liara reminded her.

“Yeah, time for Tali to return to her people. I am gonna miss her so much” Calen scowled a little.

“She said she would return” Liara reminded her.

“Yeah but the Normandy runs a lot better after Tali's worked on her,”

“That sounds like Joker talking” Liara scoffed.

“He's right too. Tali has a gift for engines, Greg is good, but Tali...hell Adams reckons if the Alliance ever started recruiting outside humans, she would be chief engineer in weeks” Calen let go of Liara's hand and picked her mug up pausing before she sipped it to see a chain hanging from the handle. “What's this?” She asked curiously. 

“Well I am leaving soon to join the dig on Ilos.”

“Don't remind me” Shepards Scowl deepened. 

“Wrex is going home and Garrus...well I think he will return to C-Sec and take up Spectre training, you know he idolises you”

“Don't change the subject” Calen arched an eyebrow.

Liara chuckled a little “Its something I picked up on Mindoir last month, I've just been waiting for the right moment to give you it. I believe its a human token of...affection”

Calen carefully took it from the handle of her mug and setting it back on the table looked at the necklace to see half a heart hanging on the end. 

“My parents had one of these. Whenever mum was off doing surveys for Alliance colonial affairs, or dad was off world doing an engineering project, apparently the two half’s would bring them both together even when they were far apart.” 

Liara took it and put it round Shepards neck, lowering her arms around the Commanders neck as she did. 

“Oh very smooth T'Soni” 

“I try. I did not want it to cause you pain Calen”

“It hasn't. I managed to get them before the Batarians ransacked the bodies. Its all I have left of my parents apart from memories. This,” She looked at the heart and realised that Liara's name was delicately inscribed in Asari script on the centre, on Liaras half was her name in italics. “is a beautiful thought and I will wear it until I see you again T'Soni”

“You better Shepard” Liara warned mockingly. 

The Asari went to kiss her when the ship was suddenly rocked by a huge explosion. “What the hell was that!” Shepard jumped out of bed now wide awake and was in her armour quicker than Liara could move out of her gown.

++This is Moreau, All hands on deck, repeat all hands on deck we are under attack++

 

Liara ran through the now exploding corridors, Ashley was beside her, the ship was being attacked by a vessel that no one had seen before. Pressley was dead, killed in the first blast and Joker was trying desperately to stop any more of his baby from being shorn off into space. 

Ashley moved Liara to one side, both in their battle armour, as a female crewman flew through the air and landed with a sickening crunch to the floor. Liara visibly winced as she heard the neck snap. 

“Tell Calen I am going to evacuate the lower decks,” Ash shouted above the screams of the Crew and the explosions of the burning Normandy. “I want to make sure Tali and Adams get out with the rest of the Engineers.”

Liara nodded and headed to what had been Kaidans old post to see her lover put her N7 breather helmet on over her black and silver N7 armour, the red and white stripe down one arm clearly visible in the eerie glow of the panel light. Liara could feel the waves of anger emitting from the Commander like a barely suppressed Tsunami, her crew were dying and they were under attack from whatever the hell that ship was.

Coming out from Shepards quarters, Liara had caught a glimpse of it as she had gone to the CIC. It was like a living gigantic tube of flesh, its sheer size should have stopped it from making the turns it made to keep the Normandy in its sights, despite Jeff's skill, no ship could have done that, but then again, that was disproved with Sovereign 6 months ago. 

“Shepard, will the alliance get here?” Liara asked, catching a crewman as he stumbled and letting him go to help others.

“They damn well better” Calens voice was dark, the last time it had sounded like that was when she had faced Saren for the last time. 

An explosion rocked through the canteen and Liara lost her footing, Shepard caught her and held onto her for a moment or two longer than was necessary. 

“I need you to co-ordinate with Ashley and Wrex, and get the crew to the escape pods” Shepard told her. 

Liara grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out a small fire near them “Jokers still on the bridge, he's not leaving, and neither am I” The Asari sounded defiant, she was not leaving Shepard ever, she had already made her mind up about that one. 

Calen grabbed the fire Extinguisher and moved back “I will get Joker, you just get the crew off the Normandy” 

“Shepard!”

Calen stopped by the remains of the Medbay and turned a little, her voice heavy with sorrow   
“Please Liara, now!”

“Aye Aye Ma'am” Liara had every faith that her woman would get back to her, and ran off to do as her lover and her Commander ordered. 

 

Liara ran through the Normandy to the Escape shuttles. Garrus came up carrying Tali who had broken her leg in a fall from one of the upper ducts, Wrex was helping Ashley walk Adams and Chakwas. 

“Everyone in come on go go go” Liara yelled at everyone in the Escape bay, as soon as they were in and she heard the locks on all the escape pods lock she jumped into her one, the door behind her swished shut and her harness fell over her shoulders.

“Where’s Calen?” Wrex asked.

“Going to get Joker” Liara forced her voice to remain steady.

“There’s a evac tube on the bridge” Ashley assured them “She'll get Joker and join us then”

Karin got Tali comfortable then sat in her seat, just as her harness came down, she held Tali's hand as the pressure of the pods rush from the tube forced them all back into their seats the lights from the launch tube suddenly vanished to be replaced by the black ocean beyond and, like the surviving crew, they could only watch as the vessel sliced through the Normandy leaving her dead in the water. 

 

Joker was stubborn, Calen thought, in fact she had always known Joker was a stubborn arse, he had no respect for authority, except Anderson, Hackett and herself, but his stubbornness now was bordering on reckless. 

“Joker come on!” Calen was loosing her patience. 

She understood his feelings, she would give anything to save the Normandy herself, but even she could see that the girl was dead. 

“No, I can still save her, dammit Calen, I can still save the Normandy!” Joker insisted.

Calen put her hand on his arm, a little too hard, but it made him wince and look at her “The Normandy is dead Joker, there is no way she is coming back from this, half of her is floating debris, Engineering is gone. Tali and Adams barely ejected the drive core saving your arse. Dying is not going to bring her or the dead crew back!”

Joker looked at his Commander and finally relented. However just as she helped him up and into the escape pod he shouted a warning to Shepard, the alien was coming around for another attack. He could only watch as the beam cut through what remained of the bridge like a knife through butter.

“SHEPARD NO!” Joker screamed as the explosion sent Calen flying out through the gaping hole behind her. Shepard looked at Joker through her helmet visor.

“Goodbye Jeff” She muttered and slammed her hand on the release button, sending him to safety as her ship exploded into its final death throws before disintegrating around her and finally the alien vessel moved away. 

 

Liara slammed her hand against the Tube window as Shepards figure seemed to look around her and look right at her, then grab at her air tubes as a piece of floating debris sliced through her suits air filters. She screamed Shepards name, causing Garrus, Wrex and Ashley to move to her side. Wrex wanted to get out there, he knew that he would survive long enough to bring his friends home, that was why Krogans had redundant nervous systems, not to mention his armour would be enough to get him there. 

He was about to do just that but as he watched he slumped, Calen had been caught up in the planets gravitational pull and was too far, too far for him to reach her in time. Ashley closed her eyes and muttered a prayer, Tali's hand on her shoulder, if they could see her face they'd have seen a wide eyed, open mouthed young woman crying as she sat watching the death of her friend with a horrible hollow feeling in her chest. 

Wrex and Garrus were beside Liara but, like the crying screaming Asari, all they could do was watch as Calen Shepard, Saviour of the Citadel, Guardian of the Council and the first Human Spectre vanished into the afterlife, alone.


	2. Cerberus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> awakened by Miranda Lawson, Unsure of where she is, Calen Shepard has to battle derranged Mechs to even begin to find the answers she wants, but two years have gone by and a lot has happened. and a family revelation leaves her cold.

CERBERUS

“Wake up, Shepard wake up!”

The stern voice brought the Commander to her waking senses. She winced in pain as she moved off the bed she had been laying on. She tried to focus her thoughts, where was she? Who was that ordering her about? 

“Shepard, the base is under attack, I need you up and about!”

The voice was familiar, she had a vague memory of waking up to that same tone telling her to go back to sleep. She also had a very vivid memory of the Normandy exploding before her eyes. She managed to quell the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. Sudden movements were not good it seemed. She wanted to tell the woman who was ordering her about to shut her god damned mouth but the sound of gunfire halted the words from erupting from her mouth.

She got to her feet, holding onto the side for support as she did so. That woman said there was a gun in the cabinet in front of her...so there was, looked like a standard Predator pistol. She made her way to the next room and found some ammo laying on the floor. 

She tried to tune that annoying voice out, get some bearings on where she was, no such luck, she ducked down behind a glass barrier as a trio of mechs walked into the room, firing at her. 

“Stay in cover Shepard.”

Annoyed, disorientated and feeling as sick as hell the newly awakened Commander snapped, “I think that’s fairly obvious, don't you!” She fired her pistol three times, neat shots, kill shots and waited for moment, then got to her feet “Now, tell me where to go then shut the hell up for five minutes, at least until I get my bearings.”

The reply that came back were certainly caustic enough but, the voice did as Shepard demanded, she took out some more mechs on the way, with the woman telling her that this had been a medical facility, and now someone had hacked the mechs and sent them to kill the Commander. Shepard rolled her eyes at that one, someone was always trying to kill her, damn it was getting to be a way of life for her. 

She reached the top of the stairs and found a grenade launcher. She readied and it and as soon as the doors opened, let loose with one. The voice was mildly surprised by the sounds of it, it showed when she said nice shot. She took the floor down to one level and ran through the fire bringing her outside to another office, this time the voice did shut up, but not because she wanted to, because someone, or more to be more exact, some things had closed in on her. Part of Calen was glad for the quiet, the other half wasn't. She shot the two crawling mechs and took a moment to look around her. There were a couple of consoles and pressing one, a male voice emitted from the speakers, explaining how the funding for the Lazarus Project had exceeded two and a half billion credits. Whomever funded this was very well connected and wealthy. She paused by another console and the face of the woman’s voice she had been listening too a few moments ago appeared. 

She looked to be an attractive woman, but that voice was...severe and Shepard wondered if she was actually a person or a school headmistress. She explained that the Lazarus Project had been a success and that Shepard was alive. Calen stepped back in shock, she was dead? How could she be dead, she was walking around. She looked at her hands, and her arms, then stopped by a piece of mirrored glass. 

She was alive alright, her hair was longer than she remembered, but her face, there were a series of scars on her cheeks that glowed slightly. She touched her own face turning the jaw one way than another, she had so many questions but right now, she had to get off this base, the woman had said to meet her in the shuttle bay, god knows where that was but, that was where she was heading. With a last look back at her reflection she reloaded her pistol, grabbed some extra clips and made her way out of the room. 

The raven haired woman unleashed a flurry of biotic attacks that might have given an Asari pause for a moment, for a human she was skilled and deadly. Her overload hit each of the five mechs in turn, giving her a moment to pick them off. With the last of the mechs falling and then exploding before her she turned and tried to clear her head to think straight. 

Someone had hacked the mechs and overridden their programming, turning them from benevolent security and protection details to deadly killing machines. Even the big ones had been changed, someone inside had done this, there was no malfunction, and as she quickly read the computer readouts she began to realise just who had been responsible for this. They had been good, covered their arses but forgot that with the hidden security protocols Cerberus used, nothing was ever completely hidden. Everyone hid a trail and that was what the Illusive Man had known when he wrote the hidden security protocols. 

She shook her head and wondered who had paid the man enough to betray one of the most powerful business men on Terra, if not the entirety of Alliance Space. There was only one answer to that, no other organisation had that kind of clout or pull, except Cerberus itself. The Shadowbroker. 

There was a shadowy figure that seemed to have their hands in all the pies on the political scene, and just how did the Shadowbroker know about Shepard being here, and being the subject of Project Lazarus? And what information did he have on that cretin to make him betray his oaths after many years of exemplary service? Or did John Wilson suddenly get too greedy and looked for another career option. 

She pushed her black hair back and took a deep breath, Shepard would be at the shuttle bay soon enough, if she hooked up with another operative. Miranda Lawson took a deep breath and made her way out of the room she had been cornered in. If John Wilson believed that he had just murdered her, then he was in for a rude awakening, if he was still alive and on the station. He had just murdered several hundred personnel, her personnel, her staff and for what? To kill Shepard? He had worked hard to bring her back from the dead so why kill her now?

Keeping her wits about her she made her way through the back corridors, ignoring the dead that lay strewn about the path she took. She recalled her mission to Omeaga two years previous. When they had recovered what had been left of Shepards body, he had voiced that there was not enough left to even grow a finger let alone repair an entire body. Miranda had told him to shut the hell up and just do as he was told. She knew what she was doing. 

She was also aware that when the body was returned to Cerberus, there had been Shadowbroker agents after it too, no doubt to hand to the Collectors when the time came, although what they wanted with the body she couldn't even begin to guess at. All she knew was the Shadowbroker had a contract with the Collectors to get Shepards body back, anything beyond that was a mystery for another time. 

Right now she had to get off this station with Shepard, the report she would have to make, was going to be a headache in itself.

 

“Come on over!” 

Shepard pressed herself against a wall and peered round the corner, her gun in her hand ready, her body tingling as her biotics began to wake up. She saw a dark skinned man, darker skinned then Anderson, ducking behind a balcony and unleashing a pull shooting the mechs as they flew into the air. 

She made her way in and ducking crouched beside the black and white uniformed man. He turned and the surprise on his face was evident enough. He had obviously not expected to see Commander Calen Shepard up and about. 

“Damn things must be bad if Miranda's got you up and about” His voice held awe.

Shepard ran a cool gaze over him. He was handsome enough dark brown eyes, close cropped black hair and a goatee. He held himself like a military man. Even so she wasn't sure why he would be looking at her with a mix of awe and surprise. 

“Miranda?”

“She's the head of this facility” He explained. 

“Ah the woman who was ordering me about. Makes sense now, and you are?” 

“Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Alliance Marines retired” Taylor responded. 

Calen nodded and ducked a little as more mechs entered the room and began firing. Their mechanical voices asking their targets to surrender. 

“Where the hell am I?” She scowled.

“Tell you what Commander, you help me get rid of these mechs and I'll answer any questions you may have. Like you I am a biotic so lets get to work”

Shepard shrugged and timed her shots, she watched as he pulled another mech and then she hit it with a shockwave that sent it spinning into the wall, shattering as it did so. After a few moments the combined biotic team work paid off and silence filled the room once more. 

“We better get off this base” Taylor got to his feet. 

“I got one question Taylor” Calen sat for a moment, her side protesting, after so long being inactive so much energy in a short space of time was tiring her. “Where am I?”

“This is a facility built for one thing and one thing only. To bring you back” Jacob helped her stand. 

“What was I injured or something?”

“Whets the last thing you remember Commander?”

Calen rubbed her brow and shrugged a little “The Normandy exploding, I remember my air running out then I woke up here.”

“That was two and a half years ago” Jacob told her, his voice being sympathetic, more so when he saw the expression of shock that crossed the Commanders face. “The Alliance had declared you dead.”

“How bad was I?”

“You were dead Commander, when they brought you here, you were nothing but frozen meat and tubes. There was not a lot left of you to be honest. Atmospheric burn up the frozen planet you were found on...and I don't know much else, to be honest Miranda will have the answers you need.”

“So I'm a clone”

“No Ma'am, you are the real Commander Calen Hannah Shepard, born on Mindoir and one of the few survivors of a Batarian slave grab.”

“What happened to my crew?” Her voice sounded distant, far away as if she was trying to digest what he had told her. 

“When the Alliance found the survivors, there were twenty crew unaccounted for and they were mostly lower decks. Navigator Pressley was the most senior officer who had died. The crew were reassigned to other vessels. The non-human crew, well they went their separate ways, Liara, the Quarian Tali, the Turian and Krogan all went to other places. I couldn’t tell you where they were now or what they were doing.”

Calen was silent for a long time “So ex Lieutenant Taylor, what do you do here?” She asked. 

“I am head of station security, amongst other things” He told her “I was getting ready for some shut eye when the alarms went off and the mechs started attacking the place. Love to know how that happened.”

“Seeing as you know your way around, I’d be better off following you then.”

“It's my honour Commander.”

Again with the awed voice. Calen was in no mood to pander to any kind of hero worship. She ached, her face itched with whatever was under that facial scaring and she was trying to accept that she had been dead for two years. Her memories were hazy at the moment, fuzzy but one slipped into sharp focus, and she put her hand to her throat. 

Jacob reached into his pocket and handed her the necklace. “This was found in your hand. I put it in my pocket before anyone else moved it. I figured it was important to you and well...you know” Shepard saw the Asari script shining like new “I cleaned it up, was a bit of a mess when I got it” Jacob explained. Calen nodded her thanks, unwilling to talk, her throat had constricted a little and she put it round her neck. 

 

She followed Jacob staying behind him, still unsure of what or who he worked for, and still unable to comprehend that she had been a corpse that had been brought back from the dead. She wondered what technology that had used, as far as she had known, bringing the dead back to life was consigned to science fiction films, novels and horror stories, she clearly remembered how she died but the rest, was a blur. 

They made their way through the corridors, more dead bodies. Some one called Wilson had contacted Jacob and told them he was trapped in a computer room. That name at least was familiar, although at the moment she wasn't sure where from.

The mechs were everywhere, and it had become more and more apparent that not only were they killing anything that was organic, but gunning for her, Taylor had muttered that they were certainly hunting her. Everyone else was more nor less collateral damage. 

They found Wilson on the floor, sitting with his back against a barrier and nursing a gunshot wound to his leg. Taylor slapped some medi-gel on it but as Wilson began to explain that he had come to the server room to attempt to fix the problem with the mechs, Calen took a look at the wound, she had seen leg wounds before but this...this was not inflicted by a mech, for one thing there were no mech bodies about and yet there were plenty of human bodies. 

“Thanks Shepard, didn't think you'd be saving my life, guess that makes us even.”

“Not by a long shot” Calen muttered, still looking at the bodies around them. 

“I came in here to fix things, try and put this right, but the damn mechs got in, killed everyone, if I hadn't been where I was, they would have killed me too.”

“We didn't ask why you were here” Jacob frowned a little “What are you doing here anyway, you're not cleared for this wing, you're bio-wing”

“Didn't you listen to me Jacob? Or has working with the Ice Queen blocked your hearing? I was trying to put right what had happened here. Speaking of the Ice Queen, where is Miranda?”

“Shepard?” Jacob asked the silent Commander.

“There were gunshots and explosions, don't know where she was though” Calen explained.

“Well then, there are two explanations, Lawson is either a traitor or she's dead” Wilson sighed 

“If she was a traitor, then why wake me up?” Shepard slightly arched her eyebrow “doesn't make sense to me”

“OK then, so she's not a traitor, but she was in lab 10 and that place swarmed with those things. She's dead” Wilson sounded a little too triumphant.

“Not Miranda” Jacob asserted “It'll take more then a few mechs to drop her.”

“Look” Calen snapped “I don't know who any of you are and I don't care, I just want off this station and back to my life thanks” 

“This is getting tense, Commander, if I tell you who we work for will you trust me?” Jacob asked.

“Jury's out on that one Taylor”

“If you wanna piss the boss off Jacob its your ass” Wilson shook his head “now is not the time.”

Jacob shook his head “and getting the Commander to help us won't work if she's expecting a shot in the back. Commander, the people that brought you back, well we work for Cerberus”

Calen almost staggered under the weight of Jacobs words. Cerberus, those terrorist bastards? She felt like she was going to throw up, all those experiments, especially the ones with her Alliance squad and the Thresher Maws...Acuze shot into sharp focus in her mind and the broken tired features of Corporal Andreas Toombs. The death of an Alliance Admiral not to mention using Rachni, Thorians and other experiments. 

Now those bastards had brought her back to life, and for what? To own her? Not a chance, not a chance in hell. She lashed out and caught Taylor under the jaw and sent him flying, Wilson stood straight.

“What the hell are you doing....omph”

She charged into him with a powerful vanguard charge that slowed time around her. She stood over the groaning Wilson and watched as Jacob got to his feet. 

“I can't say I blame you for that Commander” he cracked his jaw a little, but inside he was hurt, his plan to smoothly ready Shepard for the news of her new boss had just flown out the window. 

“If you think I am going to work for you or your demented sick boss think again” She warned “He should have made sure I was dead on Acuze”

“That wasn't us Commander.”

“It was fucking Cerberus, don't lie to me Taylor!” She warned.

“Yes it was Cerberus, but it was a rogue cell, one that went too far, it was dealt with”

“How fucking convenient” Calens tone was snide, and disbelieving. 

Taylor knew she didn't believe a damn thing he said about it, to be honest he hadn't believed all of it, but as Miranda once said, to maintain efficiency not all of Cerberus knew what the others were doing, only the Illusive Man, knew who did what and where. 

Shepard pointed at the groaning Wilson “You might want to ask him which one of the dead humans over there shot him, cause it sure as hell wasn't a mech. No bodies? Just human bodies? His story has more holes than a Hanars feelers” She stalked off out the room leaving Jacob frowning at Wilson. 

After fighting a string of mechs in the shuttle bay approach, and Calen finding another recording that detailed what had happened to her, they reached the shuttle bay, as the doors opened Miranda Lawson took one look at the shocked features of Wilson then with a snarl shot him in the face.

“Surprised to see me?” She asked the corpse viscously.

Calen lowered her gun as Jacob stared at the body “and there goes your chance to find out who he worked for” Her tone was dripping with sarcasm. “or do Cerberus have other methods?”

Miranda turned her gaze to Jacob, a little mocking in her tone “Your conscience pricked a little?”

“Come on Miri, lying to the Commander is not going to get her to help us.”

“I said I wasn't going to work for you Taylor” Calen snarled. 

“You wouldn't be working for us, but with us” Miranda looked at her “Unless you want me to leave you here, but I just spent two years bringing you back, be a shame for you to walk away without finding out why, wouldn't it”

Calen looked around her “What about the others?”

“That man had the mechs kill them all, my staff, and I just paid him back for it.”

“Miranda, Wilson was one of us..who, what. Why?” Jacob was having trouble processing it all.

“He was paid by the Shadowbroker. Kill us all and Shepard and take her body back to them”

“What? Why?” Calen frowned.

“If you want the answer to that Commander, you will have to come with us” Miranda saw the pendant around Shepards neck “and maybe should you ever see Doctor T'Soni again you might want to ask her”

Calen grabbed Miranda's arm “What are you going on about? What's Liara got to do with all this? Don't you dare tar her with the same shit stain as your group”

Miranda removed Shepards hand from her arm “She's changed a lot Commander, she was the one who gave you to us”

“Liara...what?”

“Like I said, a lots changed and your precious Asari along with it. Shall we go? The Illusive Man does not like to be kept waiting.”

For the second time that morning Calens world came crashing down. 

 

Miranda watched as Shepard headed down towards the holographic hub. She took no victory in seeing Shepards crest fallen expression when she found out about Liara, in fact the little field test she had conducted on the shuttles had taken some of the fire out of the woman’s demeanour. Having not bothered with things like romance or relationships except one night stands or...she glanced across to where Jacob stood looking out the window nursing a very bruised jaw...relationships that had only one thing in common, she had no idea how the Commander felt, but she was certain she was not jumping for joy at the news. 

Cerberus had caused her no end of trouble in her hunt for Saren, not to mention before she had even become a Spectre. Of course it was Cerberus, they had reasoned that whatever put Humanity on top and in control was worth any sacrifice, but Miranda, whilst loyal to the ideals of Cerberus, knew that some of those Commanders had gone way over the top. Even so, she knew where her loyalties lie and she was able to disregard the more darker past of the organisation, especially now. 

Hopefully the Commander would come to see that in the end. 

 

Calen watched as the figure rose from his chair and came towards her. A cigarette in-between his fingers and a glass of Bourbon in the other hand. 

“So tell me Shepard, how do you feel?”

“Don't even ask me things like that” Calen snarled “You don't have the right to those questions.”

Her venom didn't even make the suited man flinch instead he chuckled a little “You sound just like your father.”

“How do you know my father?” Calen snapped. 

“We were friends Calen, although I must admit the last time I saw you, you were what eight years old. Your father and I went way back, what happened to him and your mother was atrocious I am sorry about that, I couldn't get there in time...”

“Shut the Fuck up and leave my parents out of this,” She clenched her fists. “Why did you bring me back.”

“Because we know what the truth is, the council and Alliance they don't want to believe anything except that Saren was a rogue operative operating under delusions of grandeur” The Illusive Man returned to his seat. 

“And what is it 'we' know” 

“That there is a war coming, and like most modern wars, its being fought in the shadows and out of the main spotlight, waiting for the chance to strike its apocalyptic blow.”

“The Reapers” Calen sighed heavily. 

She knew that they weren't done, she had argued with Udina and Anderson, wanting to know what she and her crew were being sent to chase Geth, when the real threat was still out there. 

“The Reapers” The Illusive Man nodded and sat forward “The Council want to deny they existed, that Sovereign was the only one and there is no reaper threat, but, entire human colonies have vanished, thousands of humans simply vanished, something is attacking the colonies in the Terminus Systems and leaving them dead in the water, devoid of any sapient life.”

“Reapers harvested entire worlds and all Organics, not just humans.” Calen scoffed 

“I would say that tens of thousands of humans is the definition of Harvesting and maybe, just maybe you killing Sovereign got humanity noticed.”

Calen signed and rubbed her brow “If what you say is true then I might consider working alongside you.”

“I would be very disappointed if you didn't want the proof for yourself. We had reports of a world, Freedoms Progress, it went dark twelve hours ago, I need you to go there and find whatever proof you can. If you don't find it then we can go our separate ways and no hard feelings.”

Calen had the eerie feeling she was being manipulated here but at the end of the day it didn't sound like the Alliance or Council gave a toss about missing colonies, so what did she have to loose? She looked at him as a memory rose unbidden into her mind.

A casually suited man coming to her parents home on Mindoir, her father being happy to see him and her mother less so. In fact she recalled her mother had been positively frosty. Her father however had been over the moon. 

“Jack Harper” Calen muttered and looked at the man before her, he smiled and bowed his head. 

With that the connection closed and Calen was left with a ghost on her shoulder, and that ghost had her fathers voice.


	3. Freedoms Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Collectors have hit the colony of Freedoms Progress, Shepard, Lawson and Taylor head out there, for the two Cerberus agenst its old hat, for the resurected Commander, its a chance to prove Cerberus wrong and an old reunion starts to put everything into perspective.

FREEDOMS PROGRESS

 

The shuttle ride to Freedoms Progress had been quiet, apart from a few snippets of conversation, the rest had been mostly silent. As they approached the colony from the East, Calen took in the view around her. A beautiful world, it reminded her a little of her own home world, Mindoir, yet, even on the approach to the main city, they could see the empty farms and villages. No one moved, animals grazed in the fields but no humans could be seen. 

No women, men and children. That hit the hardest, no children. Whomever was doing this were very very thorough. 

They landed just outside the main docking area and Shepard stepped out first, the silence rang louder here than anywhere else, it was a ghost town, like one of the old western towns on earth that had been abandoned for something more modern. Jacob shook his head a little, he, like the Commander had hoped to find some survivors, but even on the fly over and now, stepping from the shuttle to look around him that hope fled. 

Miranda for once remained silent, she really did not have the words to convey what she had seen flying over or landing. She had changed out of her white and black uniform, for an armoured black and gold uniform, her headset looked like a very expensive modern pair of glasses, the data feed scrolling up one side. 

Jacob was wearing the same uniform he had on when he met Shepard, she was a little fed up with seeing how tight it fit in some places. Assuming she stayed with the bunch of murdering sons-of-bitches, then she would insist he wear a proper set of armour on missions. What he wore casual on whatever vessel they would be on, well that would be up to him. She didn't much care for him or his attitude, and she certainly didn't much care for his barely hidden hero worship of her. 

However, there was obviously something between Miranda and himself, what was it Miranda had told her? Oh yeah, Cerberus didn't have the same stringent regulations on fraternisation. Why she was told that was unusual, but every now and then Miranda would shoot Jacob a look that said they had, at least at one point, been more than friends. 

Calen herself wore her N7 armour, Miranda had it made for her, for which she was very grateful, at least it was something she could relate to. Her helmet let her data feed scroll up and, like Miranda's, there were no life signs at all. 

“We better search the buildings” She sighed, the sinking feeling of finding anyone was becoming stronger. 

They searched building to building. Nothing, and Jacob had even pointed out that it looked like the colonists had been settling down for an evening meal. Whatever had happened to them, happened fast, there were no signs of gunfire, no bodies, and no signs of struggle. It was like they had all been transported out of here before anyone could raise any defence. 

She thought about the old Science fiction vids she had watched as a child, it reminded her of them although she found that a little hard to believe right now. Just as she was finding Miranda's statement about Liara even harder to believe. Calen leant on one of the stone stair walls and looked out over empty town. She waited for a moment and silently pointed, there was the gateway that led into the main hub of the colony. 

Maybe, just maybe someone managed to hide in one of the observation towers or the generator bunker. She wanted desperately to find someone. As they walked through they were attacked not only by mechs but Fenris mechs, mechanical hounds that acted like security dogs, 

“What the fuck are they!” Shepard demanded as she ducked beside Miranda. 

“They were created two and a half years ago” Miri explained, loosening off an overload “They are very effective, and someone is here, because they should have tagged us as human. They have been programmed to attack”

“Well that’s something at least” Calen slammed a pull field then followed up with a biotic throw that sent the mech hound into the side and exploding. 

“Before we continue Commander, I want to say a couple of things”

“Can it wait until we have sorted out what’s going on?” Shepard was brusque in her reply. 

Miranda couldn't blame her for that one, when the had reached Ontario station and Calen had attempted a conversation with her, she had been rather cold. 

“You do realise, that you have access to the biotic spectrum, you are not just a Vanguard Shepard”

“Some of your handy work Lawson?” Shepard asked as she shot another Fenris. 

“No that’s just it...it was always there, when we implanted the cybernetics into you I read the readouts that came up. You were classed as a Vanguard because that was your strongest field, but Shepard you can use any biotic ability.”

Shepard looked at her for a moment and shook her head, “This week just keeps getting better and better.”

“It might have something to do with the drive core burst over Mindoirs polar region, before you were born.” Miranda explained. 

“Can we do this later, I think I have had enough shocks for one month don't you” Without waiting for a response she stood up, her body glowed and she moved across the space between Miranda and the last mech with astonishing speed, sending it back and over the edge of the walkway. Terminal system failures emitting from its mechanical voice as it fell. 

“I hate mechs” Calen muttered, then drawing her Tempest, she moved into the next building to see four Quarians studying a map. 

“Cerberus!” One unhooked a shotgun “Shoot the bastards.”

“No one will shoot anyone Prazza, not unless...wait a minute...Calen!” 

For the first time since she woke up Calen felt like crying. There before her stood Tali'Zorah, Calen holstered her gun and grabbed Tali, hugging her so close that Tali knew that it was her Calen, her friend, and she hugged her back.

“I thought you were dead...what happened?” Tali had a thousand and one questions then stepped back “Wait this could be a trap.”

Calen took Tali's hand “Did the information on the Geth I gave to you help with your pilgrimage Tali?” 

“Yes, yes it did...oh Calen its so good to see you!” 

“Likewise Tali” She hugged her again and stepped back “So, want to tell me what’s going on”

“What we are working with Cerberus now?” The one called Prazza shook his head “Fuck that”

“No!” There was an authoritative tone in Tali's voice that Shepard had never heard before, she smiled a little “You are working for me, if you can't deal with that, then go back to the ship Bosh'tet” Tali turned her attention to her old Commander “We are here for a Quarian named Veetor, he was here on pilgrimage and we want to take him home.”

“I thought you all went on ships” Calen frowned in puzzlement.

“We can choose where we want to go, Veetor always wanted to help on a small colony and he was always nervous in big crowds.”

“Pah she's being too kind” Prazza snarled, “What she means is, he is unstable, and add to that he might have damage to his suit and his CO2 scrubbers then he will have a fever too.”

“So, what happened to make you all hate Cerberus so much? Tali I can understand, but the rest of the Quarians?”

Miranda shifted a little, the Commander noticed the uncomfortable expression that hit her features. This was going to be a dozer of a revelation that was certain, nice to see the Ice Queen could get uncomfortable. 

“Cerberus attacked our Flotilla, killed some of our people and tried to blow up one of our ships” Prazza explained.

“That's not exactly how I would have put it Commander....” Miranda began,

“We can stand here and play the blame game or find this Veetor and get the answers we need” Jacob interjected. 

“Tali,” Calen asked, her grey eyes still focused on Miranda “We should team up, we'd have a better chance of finding him, use the old communications code we used on the Normandy OK Tali?” 

“Good idea” Tali nodded “and Calen, its good to see you alive and I am glad to see that you are still in charge”

“We have a lot of catching up to do Tali, but it can be done later.”

Tali stepped forward and lowering her voice spoke in Quarian, she had taught Calen her language on their downtime between missions, it helped when Tali wanted a private conversation. 

“I saw you die Calen,”

“I did die Tali, I am still trying to wrap my head around it all. Have you seen anyone else?”

Tali was silent for a moment “I saw Ashley a few months ago but I haven't seen anyone else.” 

Calen nodded and rested a hand on her shoulder, “Take care Tali, lets get this done”

Tali left with the other Quarians and for the first time since she woke up into this nightmare, she was happy. 

 

They made their way through the colony, destroying the flying drones that Tali warned them about. She also warned them that Prazza and her squad had gone on ahead, wanting to get to Veetor first. Miranda scathingly uttered that they should not have trusted them. Calen glanced at her.

“I don't blame them Lawson, if Cerberus did that to me, I wouldn't want them touching anyone I cared about...oh that’s right, they did” 

Miranda didn't say anything more about it. They moved to the large gate and did as the Commander directed, taking a position either side of the massive gates, Shepard took point. Tali opened the doors and in they went, taking cover and witnessing the deaths of Prazza and his squad at the hands of a YMIR mech, A brute of a machine with rocket launchers and Gatling gun attachment. Due to its new programming it showed no mercy, even treading on a Quarian female before blowing her head off at point blank range with a rocket launcher. That was overkill by anyone’s standards. 

Calen peered round the corner to see Tali safely out of harms way. She glanced at Taylor and chucked him a rocket launcher, then blink clicked Mirandas icon. 

“Commander?”

“Hit it with a large Overload, when I've charged it, hit it again with a warp”

“Yes Commander”

“Taylor”

“Commander”

“Keep distracting it with those rockets”

“Yes ma'am”

Shepard waited for Miranda to hit with the overload, it was a massive hit too, took its shields down completely. She gathered her focus and charged, smashing into the machine with such force it stumbled backwards, at that moment Miranda hit it with a warp field and shortly after another. Calen did another charge, just as Jacobs rocket launcher hit home. Calen dived for cover as the YMIR exploded. 

“Nice work” Shepard complimented and gathered her strength together. Then, with the two Cerberus operatives headed into a secluded building.

The voice that came from the seat in front of them was disorientated, scared and racked with fever. He kept going on about swarms and monsters, monsters coming back for him, they never forget. Shepard didn't get an answer when she called his name, and Jacob was not convinced that they would get anything from the Quarian. 

Using her omni-tool Calen waved it and the screens went blank, causing the Quarian to turn round. The shock at seeing them reflected in his voice. Calen gently explained that they had just got there and could he tell them anything. 

He did better then that, he showed them.

Before their eyes, they saw the colonists taken from their homes, and put into piles, then moved into what looked like stasis pods and taken away. The creatures that took them looked like giant bugs and Shepard had never seen anything like them before, Miranda and Jacob had. 

“What are they?” Shepard wanted to know.

“Collectors” Miranda whispered, afraid that if she said it too loud, they might jump out the screen at them.

“The what?” Calen arched an eyebrow “I've never seen or heard of them before.”

“Not surprising Commander” Jacob told her “They are so rare most people think they are a nothing more then a myth. They come into our space, trade their technology for whatever they want and disappear beyond the Omega IV relay.”

Veetor went on to show them the swarms that seemed to incapacitate the humans, Miranda thought they might be some sort of neurotoxin, designed to keep their victims in stasis until they were ready to move them elsewhere. When Veetor told them he had readings that included dark energies, Miranda told the Commander to grab him and bring him with them.

Tali chose to make her entrance about then, and just in time to catch Mirandas order. 

“Veetor is sick, he needs help, you are welcome to his omni-tool data but I want to take him home”

“How do we know you will send us the data, your betrayed us last time.” Miranda remarked.

“I promise you, he won't be harmed, just want to talk to him about what he saw” Jacob tried to smooth things over, but Tali wasn't having it. 

“Prazza and his squad were fools and they paid for that with their lives” She snarled.

“Veetor goes back to the flotilla” Shepard quietly said “Tali will make sure we get the information we need, I am not handing him over to your...investigators” Calen made her stance clear.

Jacob could barely contain his surprise when Miranda inclined her head a little “Of course Commander, whatever you say.”

“Take him home Tali” Calen turned to her friend “When you are done doing whatever it is you are doing, maybe you'll be able to come help me”

“If I can” Tali nodded “and thankyou Shepard, I am glad Cerberus hasn't changed who you are”

Calen hugged her again and watched her walk away with Veetor, then turned her attention back to the screen which had frozen on the images of the Collectors. She had a really bad feeling about this.


	4. The New Normandy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> reunited with some old friends, Shepard takes command of the New Normandy but The Illusive Mans words haunt her, and Mirandas revelation about Liara is not helping ease the commanders mind,

THE NEW NORMANDY

Calen listened as Harper explained what he knew about the Collectors, which was, apparently surprisingly little. He confirmed what Miranda and Jacob had already told her, that the Collectors only ever ventured beyond the Omega IV relay when they wanted something, usually specimens with some strange mutation or powers not yet seen. 

He also told her that the Omega IV relay was unmapped, the simple explanation had been that whatever vessel went through it, never came back from it. Sort of like the Bermuda Triangle of space. He surmised that the only reason the Collectors made it back and forth had to be some sort of signal from their ship, that in turn allowed them safe passage through the relay. He also confirmed that they were working for the Reapers. 

Calen, still conflicted about the past and the present begrudgingly accepted that this did need to be dealt with, although she was not overly pleased to hear that aside from leaving her for dead...well OK she was dead, but not bothering to come find her, the Alliance and the Council were doing nothing, oh no wait..the council never did do anything, why did she risk all those lives when the council would just do the same damn thing...stick their thumbs up their arses and do sweet FA because it was again, humans that were suffering and therefore nothing to do with them. 

It made her want to vomit. 

She argued with Harper over the team she wanted, when she listed off her former team he had an answer for everything. Liara was working for the Shadowbroker according to his sources and therefore not to be trusted. 

Calen didn't want to hear that, she had always trusted Liara, both professionally and personally, it was still a shock to hear that the quiet archaeologist Prothean Expert was now some big shot Intel broker working for the same bastard who wanted to hand her over to the Collectors. She would get to the bottom of that, no matter what. Even if it was just to give her heart and soul some closure. 

No one had seen Garrus in over two years, all they knew was that he had left C-Sec about three months after the Alliance declared Shepard dead. 

Wrex hadn't left Tuchunka in over a year and it appeared that he was rebuilding the Krogan, Calen was glad to hear that one, he deserved it. 

Ashley had been promoted and was out somewhere in space, but her file was too classified for even the Illusive Man to get his hands on, which bothered him. It bothered Calen too, she was proud to hear that Ash finally got recognised for her hard work and the ghost of her grandfather off her back, but something told her that there was more to this then met the eye...on both sides. The Illusive man was not telling her everything not that she expected him too. 

Tali, well considering the history with Cerberus, he had been surprised that the Quarians had forwarded Veetors data. It seemed that she was the only one he actively considered, but he wanted more information before he would even commit to that. He told her that she would get a team together. It was what she was good at and it was what she did best. People followed her, be it through natural command charisma or just her personality, it was what they did. 

“You know you really do remind me of your father, he had that natural command ability” Harper was a little wistful.

“I told you to leave my parents out of this” Calen warned.

“I miss him too Calen...he was my stepbrother after all.”

“My father had no problems with aliens,” She snarled, “and don't expect me to call you uncle, you did fuck all for me when Mindoir was attacked and I was left to fend for myself.”

“Your father was one of the founders of Cerberus” Harper got up “but we had some disagreements, it was the only time we fell out for a while. I tried to find you but you had been shifted off to some foster family and I lost track of you”

“Are you enjoying fucking with my head? First I get told I was resurrected by Cerberus after being dead as dead can be, then I am told my lover is a public enemy who handed my body over to you bastards, now you're telling me we are family!” She snapped “and my father was a pro-human bigot!!!”

“I meant to tell you gently” he admitted. “Things got a little heated”

She shook her head “Is there anything else?” She wanted away from here, away from this man.

“I think I found a pilot you might like, one I know you can trust. We will talk again Calen, privately, I promise”

He cut the connection and Shepard shook her head. Her mind reeling once more until she heard...

“Calen...Commander is that really you”

She span round to see Joker limp in and if it weren't for his vroliks syndrome she would have hugged him so hard his bones would have shattered. 

“Joker..what the hell!” She beamed a genuine smile “What are you doing with this bunch of fickwits?”

“I could ask you the same thing, I saw you get spaced” Joker replied and held her hand for a moment “When the Alliance picked us up they set to work tearing apart all that you had built, sealed records, broke apart the team, hell they grounded me and stopped me from doing the one thing I enjoy”

“Why?” Calen walked alongside him, slowly taking in what he said “Anderson believes us about the Reapers, he's the human councillor, why would he allow it?”

“We're still the newbies on that score Commander, Valern over rode everything Anderson said and requested everything be sealed and hushed up, so I joined Cerberus. I know they have a bad past but hell Calen, they brought you back, let me fly and then there is this....I only found out about it last night”

They stopped by a viewing window and suddenly darkness transformed into light, onto the most beautiful ship Calen had seen since her old one died. She felt her heart soar and could hear the pride in Jokers voice as he gasped “She's beautiful”

She was a frigate, in the same design as the Normandy except a bit bigger, she flew Cerberus colours but there was no mistaking it, this was a ghost she could happily live with.

“I guess we are going to have to give her a name huh Jeff”

“There is only one name for her” Joker nodded.

“That there is Joker, that there is”

 

The Normandy SR2 moved slowly out of her hanger and gracefully flew off. Calen, Miranda and Jacob walked down the central aisle and Shepard smiled as she saw the C-I-C, bigger, more up to date and it was all hers. 

“Welcome aboard the new Normandy Commander” 

Jacobs voice seemed far away as many memories flooded the Commanders mind. She could almost imagine Pressley standing at the Navigation console, and a few others here and there. She listened as Miranda told her there was a full crew compliment, and then the XO suggested that they start looking for Doctor Mordin Solis, they would need a counter measure against the collectors swarms if they were to even stand a chance against the Collectors themselves. 

“Doctor Solis was last seen on Omeaga and it would indeed make perfect sense to seek him out first” a disembodied voice echoed around the CIC. 

“What the...who are you?” Shepard asked.

“I am the Enhanced Defence Intelligence, the crew call me EDI” EDI introduced herself.

“An AI? I have an AI on my ship?” Calen scowled a little.

“Have I offended you Shepard?”

Calen shook her head “No, I am sorry, you know, pilots don't like it when their ship talks back to them, especially Joker”

“I am here to offer advice and keep my eyes on the away team, I manage the defences of the Normandy and nothing more, Mister Moreau will have no problems with me on taking his flying abilities away from him”

The voice went silent and Shepard turned her attention to Taylor and Lawson. “I am going to introduce myself to the crew and then I will be in my quarters for a while, if one of you would care to bring me the dossiers on who Harper has targeted for recruitment, I would appreciate it”

“I will be up in half an hour Commander” Miranda acknowledged, curious as to who Harper was. 

Shepard watched them leave and headed to the bridge, mindful of the slightly turned heads as she passed. The crew of the SR2 couldn't believe they were in the presence of a legend. The first human SPECTRE, the saviour of the Citadel, the lone warrior of Acuze. They felt her presence even before she passed them and the pride began to settle in their chests. 

The Alliance left her for dead, they found her, she would save the Colonists, just as she had saved the galaxy two and a half years ago. She was Shepard and they would do anything she asked of them, because they knew she would never ask them to do anything she herself was not prepared to do. 

She walked onto the bridge as Joker turned in his new seat. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning. 

“Look at this Commander, its my baby, she back and she’s better then ever, and look leather seats! Civilian comfort on a military vessel. The alliance just do not make them like this.”

“The Normandy SR2 is not meant to be a comfort Mister Moreau, it was designed to make it easier for you to do your job.” a holographic interface popped up beside Joker and his happy face dropped.

“And there’s the pisser, I preferred the Normandy when she was quiet and didn't tell me if I left the airlock door ajar or my flies were undone.”

“Its just a copy Joker, might take a while for me to get used to her.”

“Oh come one Calen...Leather seats”

“Is that all you can think about?”

“No, but at the moment...leather seats”

Shepard rolled her eyes and looked at EDI “How you and Joker getting along EDI?”

“Mister Moreau thinks it is an insult that I am installed aboard “his” ship”

“Ah take no notice” Shepard sat herself on a seat across from EDI “You'll get used to him, we all do. So tell me what functions do you perform?”

“I have a highly developed cyberwarefare suite, as well as advance fighting capabilities.”

“Cybernation? That’s hacking and virus's right?”

“Nice to see all that time spent with Tali has rubbed off” Joker quipped.

“Yes Shepard, I can hack into an enemies computers via their wireless network, I can bring their weapons off line, their shields down and cause their engines to stop or go into meltdown. I can also resist any hacking attempt from their side. I monitor the crews health and observe any battle information that may have been missed.”

“Sounds useful, why isn't there more people like that aboard a vessel?” Shepard rubbed her jaw.

“These tasks can only be performed by an AI due to the speed and the multitasking capabilities involved, unfortunately we are suspect” her tone dropped a little. 

“Well you know, might have something to do with how an AI nearly caused the end of life as we know it...just putting that one out there” Joker interrupted. Shepard arched an eyebrow at him “what?”

“Joker, the AI is in the ship and if it gives us an edge against the Collectors then that is OK with me”

“So?”

“So the Normandy has a voice now and I suspect if the original Normandy had a voice then she'd have told you to shut up numerous times” Shepard returned her attention to EDI “You said monitor..are there monitoring devices aboard the ship?”

“The Illusive man has spent billions of credits to get this vessel into shape, it is only natural that he will want to ensure that his investments are running smoothly” 

Calen shook her head “always has to be in control” She muttered.

“Your quarters have monitors in them, but I can switch them off Shepard” EDI offered.

“Please do EDI,” Shepard was grateful, since he revealed that he was her step-uncle, well it would be a little creepy the thought of him watching her as she slept or coming out the shower. It made her skin crawl thinking about it. 

She got to her feet and tipping the hologram a wink she leant over the seat and whispered “be careful Joker, don't want to get caught having a wank in your sleep now do you”

Joker flushed a violent hue and glared at the Commander, “You must be better” He snarled. 

“Not really, just find it funny with all that porn you used to have that outside eyes are watching you.”

“Hey not funny Calen, do not dis the collection, that kept me company on many a lonely adolescent night” 

“and your mother probably cursed the washing she had to do” 

Joker smiled a little and looked up at her “Commander, are you really OK?” 

“Still trying to adjust to some things, be better when I get working. For now head to Omeaga. What’s the ETA?”

“Thirteen hours” Both EDI and Joker said in unison. 

Shepard shook her head and left them to it. She walked down to the CIC and stood looking at it for a moment. She could almost hear Presley’s voice, fussing over the way the galaxy map was set up, barking orders at the Cerberus crew to bring them into shape. He reminded her of Gunny Ellison at times....he had reminded her of Gunny Ellison. 

She stopped as an attractive red headed Yeoman snapped off a clean salute and introduced herself. 

“Good evening Commander, I am Yeoman Kelly Chambers, I will be monitoring your mail and inform you of any problems ship board or with the crew”

“No offence Yeoman, but isn’t that something that a VI is better suited to do?” Shepard asked. 

“Probably and please call me Kelly”

“We'll see” Calen remarked. Kelly brought herself straighter. 

As she explained what her duties were, she observed the Commander, she was dealing with trauma, more than she might have had to deal with on Acuze, according to the profile she had read, Shepard had been a relaxed Commander, using her natural personality to bring the crew to speed, at the moment she was nothing of the sort.

She was suspicious of anything to do with Cerberus, given her past dealings with them that was an expected event. She was also dealing with the revelation that she had been dead. A corpse that had been brought back to the land of the living, and that had to have had some effect on her psyche. It might also change her in ways that would seem detrimental to the old her. 

She let the Commander go and watched her go into the lift then return to her station. 

 

The walk round her vessel took just over half an hour, she had been relieved to see Karin Chakwas was in the medical bay. The woman had been a constant in her life since Mindoir, she had helped school a frightened 16 year old into a strong adult by offering her a home. To see her foster mother still alive and with her and Joker then at least there was some stability. The Doc had said she would come see her later, once she had taken stock of everything that was in the Medical bay. 

She had met Daniels and Donnelly, Donnelly she was not too sure about, Daniels she liked, straight to the point with that New York Accent that was the most widely imitated American accent after the Southern drawl. Donnelly Scottish accent was a little hard to understand but she would get there eventually. Her own accent was a little hard for Terrans to understand. Despite being away from Mindoir for some years, her accent was still as strong as ever and it showed more when she was angry.

She crossed to her desk and saw a picture of Liara there, with a little post it note from Joker saying that he had this redone for her. A welcome home gift. There was also a picture of the original team. Ashley, Kaidan, Wrex, Tali, Garrus, Adams, Pressley, Joker and Liara with the Doc. 

She set the pictures down and made herself a coffee just as her door knocked. She called out to come in and Miranda came in with the data slates she wanted to see. 

“Help yourself to a coffee XO” Shepard undid her uniforms top buttons and relaxed a little “and tell me what you know about the six we are to pick up.”

Miranda sat herself down and set her tea to one side, she was a tea person more than a coffee person, coffee first thing in the morning, the rest of the day was tea. 

“Well Doctor Solis was a member of the STG's science division. Like most Salarians he seems to be able to do two or three things at once. His file is surprisingly well classified for someone who apparently was recon only.” Miranda handed Calen the pad “he is currently on Omega running a clinic in the Gozu district.”

Calen read his file and nodded to herself then set the file down “Next?”

“Next we have a merc named Archangel, although I wouldn't class him as a mercenary, more a vigilante, not much else is known about him except he is male, and is causing the merc gangs on Omega cause for concern, in the year he has been there, the crime rate has considerably dropped”

“Bet that doesn't please Aria” Shepard muttered.

“No but it enables her to fill any vacuum with her own people. You have met her then?” Miranda asked.

“No just know her by reputation only. Bit of a Narcissist from what I can gather”

“She does like things done her way and no deviations from that but that’s a pretty good sum up of her character Shepard.”

“With any luck I won't have to deal with her that much” Calen mused.

“Unfortunately as we are heading for Omeaga, chances are, we will” 

“Great” Shepard groaned “Next?”

Miranda handed her a dossier on Zaed Massani, human and a merc operating more as a bounty hunter and judging by his file, a highly priced one at that. She was reminded of Wrex, he had been a bounty hunter when she had met him on the citadel. But that’s where the similarities ended. Massanis file spoke of a cold efficient hunter who never took a job he couldn't finish and he never stopped hunting for his quarry, even if they eluded him for months, he eventually found them. 

Kasumi Goto, not much on her except that she was the best thief in the galaxy, wanted in a dozen systems for grand larceny. She was an infiltrator, good for her choice of work, she wasn't sure why the thief was picked until she saw that Kasumi was also a very good alien tech hacker. The Japanese woman certainly knew her way around that was for certain.

O'Keer, a Krogan warlord who was also a genetic scientist, his reputation spoke of hatred, by the sounds of it he was not well liked on Tuchunka and that alone said something. Miranda pointed out that if O'Keer was ever seen on Tuchuncka then he was hunted by other clans, they teamed up and set aside their own differences for what they saw as his abominations on the Krogans natural order of things. 

Finally. A dossier on a criminal called Jack, a powerful biotic, and psychotic. Mirandas expression said all really, Calen didn't need to ask, she wondered why the Illusive man wanted such an unstable element. Still they would find out at some point. 

Calen looked up as the doctor came in, “Get some rest Miranda, I want you and Taylor ready to leave when we dock at Omeaga”

“Yes Commander” Miranda got up and nodded politely to the doctor before taking her leave. 

Karin sat herself next to her foster daughter and handed her a shot of Haig Whiskey. Calen looked down into the whisky glass and ran her finger round it. 

“You were friends with my mum doc, how well did you know my dad?” 

“Jason?” Karin shrugged a little “He had been an Alliance Engineer, Hannah always said he other irons in the fire though, before he took to living on Mindoir, why do you ask?”

“Did you know the Illusive Man was his step-brother”

Karin stared at her, her jaw opened a little “No, Jason never spoke about his family.”

“Yup Jack Harper is my uncle, and it turns out my dad was a bigot too. Co-founded Cerberus and did a lot of work for them before he met mum, or maybe it was because of mum that he retired and settled down, I don't know” She shrugged “It's like every memory I have of him is now shattered. He was always telling me to be more open minded, turns out he was as closed minded as a book” she sipped her whisky. 

Karin shook her head, “I knew there were elements of Jason's past that Hannah did not like but, well I never knew all this...did the Illusive man tell you all this?”

“Yeah” Calen lay her head back “What a lousy week, best thing about it is working with you and Joker again.”

The Doc rested her hand over Calens, nothing needed to be said, the fact she was there gave comfort to the woman she had raised from the age of 16. 

And that was all that really was needed.


	5. Zaeed Massani

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On arrival at Omeaga Shepard meets the Mercanary Massani and a disembodied voice once enters her mind.

ZAEED MASSANI

 

You are eternal, immortal, and we have a task for you.

Shepard woke with a start, she looked around the cabin that was her quarters, nicknamed The Loft by the crew, a dream, it was just a dream, but even now the images of the dream were fading and yet that voice...so utterly alien and old. She swung her legs out of bed and looked at the clock beside her side. 3am. Getting up she switched the coffee machine on and headed into the shower. 

Sitting at her desk she glanced at the picture of Liara that came up and picked it up. “They are lying, they have to be lying. You would never do anything like that and you would never work for the Shadowbroker. Miranda was wrong and so was that chain smoking wanker” 

She set it back down and looked at the three dossiers again and EDI's notes on Omeaga. Omeaga was a hive of criminality, murder, drugs, sex all in equal measure and all answering to one woman and one woman only. 

Aria T'Loak. Nothing was ever simple with this Aria. Her past for starters was just as clouded as her other business affairs, but one thing was constant, anyone who messed with her, ended up dead. One of the most feared Asari, her reach was long as was her memory. She ran Omeaga like her own enterprise and did not seem to care about the corruption or the lawlessness of it all. The gateway to the Terminus systems was just another Ilium, Omeaga was the central point for pirates slavers and other less desirables. 

She shook her head a little, she understood that places like Omeaga needed a firm hand when running it, but this Aria seemed to think she was the Queen of if all, and nothing happened without her knowledge or her say so. Like Miranda had said, a Narcissist to the core. 

Zaeed, he was a mercenary warlord, not many of them about, but then the life of a merc was measured in days rather than years. If they got to their mid thirties then they were doing well. She had lost count of the amount of mercs she had killed on her hunt for Saren. His fees were astronomical but then, with the record his dossier listed she could see why. He had rates for bringing them back dead, and rates for bringing them back alive, a bounty hunter with a reputation for getting the job done, no matter how long it takes. 

She read one foot note that said one of his contracts evaded him for three years. And although he took other work alongside it, he found his quarry, and collected the bounty. A driven man then, something drove him ruthlessly onward. She shook her head a little, obviously it was his skills that Harper needed, not his personality. 

Doctor Mordan Solis, a respected Salarian who came from a senior clan within the Salarian Union. Calen never pretended to understand how Salarian politics worked, except that it was a Matriarchal society. The women ruled Sur'kesh, Dalatrass's with enormous power both politically and family. They organised the mating rituals, checking each family archive to ensure only the best DNA entered their family line. Calen knew that Salarians had a reputation for secrecy that outstripped the Asari by ten to one. 

This man, it seemed was no different. A scientist of respect, he was also a medical doctor, and he had been in the STG. She knew that Salarians had short lives, and it looked like Professor Solis was nearing the end of his, in his mid-thirties by the looks of it, Salarians rarely lived past forty and those that did never seemed to reach forty-five. Apparently, from what EDI had said, there was a plague running rampant on Omeaga in one of the districts and Solis was running a clinic at the heart of it all. The Gozo district, they might have to go there first. 

If his dossier was right, then he might be one of the few who could come up with a counter-measure against those swarms that showed on Veetors data. She paused for a moment and sipped some coffee. She was glad to have seen Tali again and glad that she could help her, she was not going to let Cerberus get their hands on Veetor, Taylor might have said that he would not be harmed, and she believed that he believed that, but she knew better. Colour them up whatever you like, Veetor would not have been the same had he been handed to Cerberus. 

Leopards did not change their spots, but if all he said about the Alliance not helping their colonies was true, then this time she was obliged to work alongside them, the enemy of her enemy and all that. 

She picked up the last Dossier. Archangel, as Miranda had said, a bit of a mystery man, a vigilante that had all the major groups on Omeaga running scared. He didn't discriminate it seemed, and in the last two years, the Blue Sons, Eclipse and Blood Pack had all suffered huge financial losses at the hand of this man and his team. He would be an asset, so would his team come to think of it. Shipments disrupted, top ranking officers killed, money siphoned to the poor where and when they could, she smirked a little, Archangel....na more like Robin Hood. There were no images of him, that she could find anyway so she would have to go by guesswork. Unless...

“EDI, are you awake?”

“I am always awake Shepard” EDI's voice came over from the holographic panel by her door and she turned to face it. 

“Would you be able to monitor communications channels on Omeaga? Let us know what is happening with Solis and Archangel?”

“Of course Shepard”

“EDI”

“Yes?”

“You can call me Calen”

“That would be disrespectful to your rank Commander”

“I am giving you permission if that’s what you want. You are not listed as part of any military rank so if you wish to call me by my name then you may do so.”

“Thank you, I would prefer at the moment to do so in private.”

Calen nodded and smiled a little, she liked EDI, or maybe it was that voice, whatever it was, EDI seemed to be the most honest soul aboard the new Normandy. She could count on Karin and Joker to be straight with her and it was nice to think that the Normandy would be as well. 

“So what else do we know about Omeaga?” Calen asked fixing herself another coffee. 

“It has been around for thousands of years...Calen. The Protheans tried to mine the Eezo core but abandoned it, due to at the time it having a thick almost impenetrable crust. Eventually, as always happens, nature took a hand and a collision with an asteroid revealed the station as we know it now.”

“So it was built before the Protheans got to it? Interesting”

“There are some that refer to it as the Terminus Systems darker version of the Citadel, but unlike the Citadel there are no governing bodies or co-operation”

“I gathered that, and to be truthful EDI I think its more like the Citadel then people give it credit for.” Calen sat back down “Omeaga just seems to be more honest about it then the Citadel.”

EDI contemplated the Commanders words “You maybe right. The territory is controlled by whomever is the strongest faction and the gangs seem to have carved out their own territories, controlling it by fear, extortion, murder whatever is needed to keep their organisations on top. With a population of about 7.8 million people Omega is home to Turians, Krogan, Asari, Salarians, Humans, Vorcha, Batarians and Salarians, as well as an offshoot of the Salarians known as the Lysethni Salarians and some exiled Quarians as well.”

“The what Salarians?”

“They are an offshoot of the Salarians, not much is known about them Calen but I suspect as do many Xenoarcheologists and Xenohistorians that they are part of an exiled clan ruled by the same family for thousands of years. Other than that everything else is conjecture.”

“Liara would know” Calen muttered, more to herself then to EDI. 

“Omeaga is the Human name for it. The Asari translates it as “The heart of evil” the Turians call it “The world without Law” the Salarians call it “The place of secrets” and the Krogan call it “The land of opportunity” and most of Omegas wealth not only comes from its smuggling operations but the fact that it is the biggest exporter of Element Zero anywhere in the known galaxy.”

“Commander, coming into dock at Omeaga” Jokers voice came over the comms.

“Thanks Joker, EDI have Taylor and Lawson meet me at the airlock in twenty minuets”

“Very well Commander”

Shepard finished her coffee and went to get changed. 

 

Shepard, with Taylor on her left and Lawson on her right exited the airlock and began to walk towards the exit from Omegas smaller space port. They were met by a Salarian, one who seemed more to be down on his luck and over friendly. 

“Hi welcome to Omeaga, allow me to show you our wonderful....oh hello Fargut”

The Salarian flinched as a broadly built muscular Batarian shoved him to one side “What are you doing here?” he demanded. 

“Just-just showing the new arrivals around.”

“Sarnash, get the hell out of here...now”

“Sure, sure whatever she orders.”

Fargut watched the Salarian scurry away and shook his head “Damn scavengers...now, Commander Shepard”

“You know who I am then?” 

Shepards voice was cold and indifferent, Miranda didn't blame her for that, Calen Shepard hated Batarians, not for the reasons that some people had, but for – in her opinion – very reasonable reasons. It was Batarians who had attacked Mindoir, killed her parents and family and took her friends into slavery. The images of that night had never left Shepards memory, and try as she might she could never find it in her heart to forgive the bastards that had caused so much pain and misery. 

“Oh perlease we had you tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems. Not was subtle as you want to think you are. Aria wants to know what brings a dead Spectre to Omeaga, Afterlife now”

Calen looked him up and down “You tell your boss lady that I will go see her when I damn well choose to.”

“You will go now, Aria doesn't like to be kept waiting” 

“If Aria wants to come and see me, she can come and find me. You tell her that” 

“How about I toss you out the airlock” Fargut snarled, his four eyes narrowing. 

“How about I remove your limbs one by one then toss them out myself” Shepard moved her head to within inches of his, her gun placed at his crotch area. “I will go see your boss when I am good and ready, I am not one of her lackeys that play to her tune and dance to her words when she snaps her fingers and says so, are we clear on that Batarian?”

Fargut moved back, his intimidation tactics did not work on this human, and to be honest he liked his nuts where they were, so did his girlfriend. 

“Aria doesn't like it when people say no to her” he warned. 

“Shame” Miranda sighed. She had dealings with Aria many a time and it was good to see someone put her holier than thou attitude to its test. 

“I'm scared Fargut” Shepard sarcastically responded “Now, take that message back like a good whipping boy”

Shepard watched the Batarian walk away and continued her walk to the main entrance. Jacob cleared his throat “May not be a good idea to upset the natives Commander.”

“Weakness is not something that is shown on Omeaga Jacob, the Commander did what was necessary to ensure that we are left alone.” Miranda countered.

“Even so, we will need their help to find Archangel and the Professor” Jacob continued “We will, at some point need Aria's help”

“You leave Aria to me” Shepard muttered “Lets just say I did some reading last night, I can deal with her.”

“Shepard, Doctor Solis is running a plague clinic, the neighbourhood is shut down because it affects every species except Vorcha and Human. As a result human alien relations are at an all time low.” EDI informed them “and I am getting reports that Archangel is fighting a combined force of Eclipse, Blue Sons and Blood Pack. There is a mercenary recruiter at Afterlife who would know how to find him,”

“One thing at a time EDI and thanks” Calen held her hand up and walked to where a tall human male was kicking the hell out of a Batarian. The Batarian looked up at Shepard and begged for her help, Calen ignored him for the moment “You Zaeed Massani?” She asked. 

The man turned, he had a horrific scar around his left eye, at first glance it looked like a horseshoe, but as Shepard looked closer she realised it was the shape of a muzzle, this guy had a gun put to his face and lived, not just that but his left eye was glazed over, blinded permanently, however judging by the file she read, it didn't change his ability as a marksman any. 

“Shepard right?” His English accent gruff and to the point “heard you need me for some shit hot mission.”

“Apparently so” Shepard muttered. 

“Well someone wanted this guy bad” He motioned with his gun to the Batarian still reeling from the beating Massani had given him. “He thought that if he disappeared on Omeaga I’d never find him, he was wrong and whomever paid me, paid my bring them back alive rates.”

“Please, help me” the Batarian pleaded. 

Shepard ignored him, Massani turned round and hit him in the face with the butt of his gun. “No one told you to speak” he returned his attention to Shepard “I don't much care for how Cerberus does things, but they paid my rates so they must want me. You do my job with me and...”

“Whoa” Shepard held her hands up “What job?”

“You mean they didn't tell you?” 

Shepard glared in Miranda and Jacobs direction and shook her head “No”

“Figures. Look I picked up an assignment a month or so back, been an ongoing thing of mine, so sooner we get that done, the soon we can be big god damned heroes” 

He watched as the Batarian made a break for it and shot him. Shepard shook her head “If I have the time then I’ll take a look at it.”

“Understood, but don't be too long about it” He holstered his Phalanx, “I'll focus better on the mission with that out the way. Better get this cleaned up before it stinks up the whole dock”

“Settle in and meet me at the entrance to the Gozu district in twenty minuets”

“You got it.”

Calen refocused her attention on Miranda “A favour for a favour?”

“I had no idea about that Shepard” Miranda folded her arms across her chest “I do not know everything that the Illusive Man organises.”

Calen looked at them both and shook her head “EDI What was it that Daniels and Donnelly asked me for?”

“FBA Couplings” EDI replied dutifully “They can be found in the lower market Commander.”

“Right” She sighed and with a last lingering cold stare at both the Cerberus agents, she made her way through the doors and out into Omeaga itself.


	6. The Queen of Omeaga

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aria T'Loak has been ruling Omega for centuries, and to get what they need they have to deal with her. Shepard however has a slight trick up her sleeve to show the self styled Queen of Omeaga that she is not going to be one who rolls over and shows her belly.

THE QUEEN OF OMEAGA

As the three humans came into the main street outside the docks they saw the building that dominated the area. Great back lit illumination with fire and the words Afterlife glowing large and luminous

“So that’s her lair” Miranda muttered not too impressed and Shepard agreed with her “Are we going to see her?”

“Unfortunately we have to.” Calen sighed. 

Miranda watched her closely and in secret. The Commander was not at all what she expected, she was wondering if the Lazarus Project had failed in that regard. Shepard seemed more, confrontational then history recorded. 

Jacob seemed to read her thoughts perfectly and leaning in whispered “She's come back from the dead Miri, she's going to be disorientated, everything she knew has changed.” He stood straighter as the Commander headed for the main doors and ignored the queue. “All she knew is gone, and finding out that Cerberus woke her and rebuilt her, well that’s just added to the confusion for her” 

“Hmm” Miranda scowled a little “There is more to it then that, and I will get to the bottom of it”

“If she lets you in” Jacob warned and followed the Commander to Afterlife, leaving Miranda lost in a moments thought before catching up. 

They were let straight in and were making their way along the corridor, the music deadened by the sound numbing walls. A Batarian lounged and catching Shepards eye got up and drew his hand across his throat. 

She grabbed him by his collar and cocked her head a little, the gun in her hand “Do you always threaten strangers or is it because I am human?”

He spluttered a little, caught off guard “Errrr no...”

The tattoo on his neck gave her pause, in her mind she saw the raid on her home, the screams of those around her as men with those same markings killed and enslaved. She raised her gun and put it to his head. 

“Mindoir” She seethed, her voice shaking a little “Were you there?”

“errrrrr”

“WERE YOU THERE?”

“No my brothers were though human...”

She held the gun to his head for a few moments then stepped back “I suggest you get out of my face before I paint the walls with Batarian blood”

They ran, even one who tried to intimidate her ran when she stuck her gun up. Miranda saw the Commanders arm shake a little and moved to her side. 

“Shepard, I think the doctor needs to look you over, this can wait”

“I am fine Miranda” Shepard brought herself under control. 

“Clearly you are not”

“And I said I am fine” The Commander snapped and moved on heading into the heart of Afterlife itself. 

 

The noise was thunderous, deafening and the more people the trio passed the weirder the conversations got. Judging by some of the patrons words, a lot of them were way over their limit, there was going to be some hangovers in the morning, that was for certain. 

There was no doubt who ran this place, you could feel it in the air, the passion, the drive and the fact that every so often, everyone in the clubs eyes turned to the central dais, here she ruled her domain, here she could see everything. Including the three humans who had just walked in. 

Fargut had come back looking a little harassed, but she had waved his protests off, if he could not stand up to a Spectre, a dead one at that, then he was no use to her. She told him to go see to Patriarch, her blue eyes never leaving the woman that now threaded her way through the crowd to where she stood. Waiting. 

It was good that she had not showed weakness but here, in her domain, this Spectre would bow down to her and her alone. 

The group approached them and another Batarian stepped forward blocking Shepards path and held up a scanner. Shepard snarled a little, she had no time for a pissing contest, she had two people to find. This was way too dramatic for her liking. Calen grabbed him by the scuff as he held up the scanner and pulled him close.

“Try doing that again and the only thing you will be scanning, is the inside of your colon....once I have emptied it across the floor.”

The Batarian, Argot looked in fear at the Asari behind him, who laughed out loud. “You know I would actually pay to see you do that” the laughter faded “but you will be scanned, its the law”

“All you had to do was ask” Shepard growled and lifted her arms letting the Batarian scan her. The Asari shook her head and let a smug smile cross her face, more so when Shepard asked her if she was in charge here. 

“I am the big boss, chairman, CEO, Queen if you are that dramatic, but there is one thing you need to know” She spread her arms wide “I am Omeaga” 

“Very dramatic” Miranda muttered.

“So Droll Miss Lawson, I see you have not mellowed.”

Shepard lowered her arms “Anything else?”

“You will learn Shepard, that there is one rule on Omeaga, one that everyone must abide by and that is...” Aria sat down and cross her legs “Don't fuck with Aria” and that smile again. 

“I wasn't planning on fucking you, I just need to know how to find Archangel”

Aria saw the expression on her bodyguards faces and smirked a little. “My my aren't we the direct one. Something must have changed you Shepard, the Calen Shepard the Universe has to thank for still existing was never so …. blunt”

Calen said nothing, Aria motioned to a chair across from her and waited. “Archangel, hmm you might have a little trouble there, he has three of the big players on Omeaga ganging up on him to take him down”

“Oh? Under your orders I assume”

“Not at all, I have nothing against the Turian, he's a Turian by the way, he has not interfered in my business, and when he does then he will know it. But the Blue Sons, Eclipse and Blood Pack already know. I rule Omeaga with an iron fist and if he wanted to come and see me then he would be dead.”

“Sounds like you have better tactics, so what are you, Matriach?”

Aria glanced sideways at her “Not your typical Matriarch” 

“Oh I don't know. Every Matriach I have met is scheming one way or another”

“Then you will know that is how Asari Matriarchs work. If you are digging for information on me, better luck next time”

And just when I thought I was the soul survivor of that fight, I get a message from Aleena....better luck next time.

Wewx's voice rose unbidden into her mind. He had been telling her the tale of one of the few targets he had ever let live. For some reason, her mind finished what she had been reading earlier and a slight smile crossed her face. 

“I don't need to dig anything about you. I know more than I need.”

“So you think”

“So I know. How do I get to Archangel?”

Aria arched an eyebrow and motioned with her head “Blue Suns recruiting point over there. Anything else?”

“Doctor Solis. I need to get into the Plague district.”

“Yes well I am sure they will be happy to let you in.”

“Good, then I can do my job and get off Omeaga”

“Oh and here I was enjoying our little chat.”

“I doubt that” She got to her feet “I am sure if Urdnot Wrex were here, he would send his warmest regards...Aleena” and motioning to both Lawson and Taylor, she walked down the steps hearing her name shouted behind her and the smile stayed on her face.

Aria was incandescent with rage. She had not seen that Krogan in centuries, damn it, how much more did that human know? Shepard carried on walking away, and Aria suddenly and unexpectedly became fascinated with her.


	7. Mordan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard had worked with Salarians before, but not one as memorable as Mordan Solis.

MORDAN

 

Zaeed was leaning against a wall waiting as Shepard, Lawson and Taylor came round the corner. The Commander was tucking a credit chit into her wallet as they approached. He motioned with his head to where a Turian guard stood, arguing with a human woman who wanted to get into the closed off district to get her things, before looters or the Vorcha got to them.

“Problems?” Calen asked as she drew closer.

“Jackass there won't let us in, says he wants to limit exposure, and besides he has orders from Aria to let no one in.”

“Aria huh” Jacob shook his head “Guess you pissed her off Commander.”

“She didn't get her own way, she was like a spoilt brat” Miranda scoffed.

“Yeah a spoilt brat with powerful biotics and enough power in her little finger to have you disappear” Zaeed mused. 

“OK enough” Calen rubbed her brow and walked over to the Turian “Why you not letting anyone in, I thought Humans were immune”

“They are but there are fears that humans will bring the plague back with them then all of Omeaga is screwed.”

“Yeah I understand that, but I need to see the doc”

“The Salarian?” The Turian shook his head a little in amazement “He's crazy as a loon setting up a clinic there. Last I heard the last attack by the Blue Suns ended up with them dead and their heads rammed on poles outside his clinic to deter any more attacks. He’s nutty as a fruit bowel but brave with it. Still can't let you in though.”

“Look, I just came from seeing Aria....”

The Turian arched an eyebrow “Wait a minute, you're Shepard....THE Shepard, I heard you were dead”

“They say a lot of things about me” Calen groaned “Not all of it is true.”

“I heard you beat Saren with your bare hands” He grinned “Good job too, the man tried to sell us down the swanny for his power. Aria said to expect you. The guys are the checkpoint will guide you through”

“Wait a sec” The other human yelled “You are letting them in but not me, how does that work?”

“You don't have weapons all over the place nor are you carrying a grenade launcher lady, now be a good lady and go to the bar till this is all cleared up”

“Fuck you” The woman walked away, shoulder barging Jacob as she went passed. Jacob shook his head. 

“You're welcome” he muttered and rolled his neck. 

Miranda patted his shoulder, the bruise on his jaw now settling down, she suspected that Jacob was loosing his touch with the female of the species. They followed the Commander into the alleyway and down towards a checkpoint, where they were let through and told to be wary. There was a turf war going on between the Blue Sons and Blood Pack at the moment. 

“I thought they had teamed up to take down Archangel” Jacob asked. 

“Yeah but it don’t stop them fighting each other. They want a bloody bigger cut on the turf, the more turf they have the bigger the fucking status they have” Zaeed told him “Just cause they joined up on one thing, don't mean they will join up on something else. Archangel is business, this is work”

They made their way through the Gozo district, coming into one of the main thoroughfares the stench of burnt flesh almost made them all gag. Zaeed made some comment about plague control at its most basic. Burn the bodies to forestall the spread of the disease. Whatever the reason, it was going to hang in the air for a long long time. Long after it had been cured that was for certain. Sometimes when she was on Mindoir, Calen could appreciate the beauty of her home but the smells and sounds of that night had forever marred her home world in her mind. 

She had taken Liara there before the Normandy had been destroyed. 

Before she died.

Before she was brought back from her peace. 

She shook her head to free herself from the memory but it wouldn't leave. She had taken Liara to a spot near what had been her grandparents home, out in the meadows behind what was now her home. The mountains were a gorgeous backdrop and Calen had taken a picnic. The two of them alone, they didn't have that much time together, alone. It had been a good memory. Liara had fallen in love with Mindoir and said she could see herself settling down here when she was older. 

Shepard pulled herself away from that memory and concentrated on the here and now. She followed the others down a flight of stairs and into an abandoned apartment. Two Turian males lay on the floor, dead, they had been for days judging by the state of the bodies and the smell. 

Zaeed was crouched down beside one of the Turians and motioned to his bloodied fingers. “He tried to claw his way out” He shook his head and grabbing the large cover from the bed he lay it over both bodies. “can't say I wouldn't have tried it if I was with someone who had caught whatever the fuck this is.”

 

“Any ideas Miranda?” Calen asked as they made their way back up the steps and into the main street.

“Well its tailored for alien physiology, except it seems Vorcha, but then they are immune to all manners of disease.” Miranda kept her Tempest close to her leg “this is not natural, but manufactured maybe to cause a backlash of hate against the Human Race”

“Yeah? It's working then isn't it” Jacob replied.

Shepard looked at them both but decided against mentioning that it was something that Cerberus would have used if they wanted to. They made their way further down the street. In the distance the sound of gunfire and explosions. Sounded like the way for Gozo was stepping up. 

They came across a sick Batarian, openly hostile and blaming the humans for the state of the district. When Calen mentioned that Vorcha could have done it, the Batarian said that the Vorcha were not intelligent enough, even when she used the medi-gel he said that as much as the human did not want to hear it, humans had something to do with this. 

If it were not for the fact the Vorcha were involved, then Calen would have been inclined to agree with him. He told her where to find the clinic and she promised to send some help. Miranda walked alongside her and nodded. 

“Nicely done Shepard. Now we just fight our way through Omegas back streets and get the doctor to come with us.”

“You've not done this before. Have you Miranda?” Calen asked. 

“I have done...other operations apart from being in the lab when I am required. I am very good at what I do Calen”

“I have no doubt. When I was hunting Saren, in order for me to get the result I needed, there was always a catch, a hook. You do this for me and then you can have what you need. If the good professor is battling the plague and trying to find a way to get rid of it....he will want our help”

They walked on. 

The district had Jacob turning his nose up in disgust. He had never liked places like Omeaga, not only was it filled with smugglers and thieves. Murderers and other scum of the universe, all under the banner of, what happens on Omeaga is the law. It reminded him of some places on Earth that were still uncomfortably called ghettos. This was too close to home for him. 

Places like Omeaga needed to be purged, the only reason he was here, was to hire the two men for their mission, when he was off this rock of psychopaths, sociopath and narcissists then he would have a long shower, although he doubted he would get the stench off for days. 

The four of them rounded a corner straight into a gunfight between the Blood packs Vorcha with their pet Varen, and the Blue Suns. He rolled his brown eyes, there was a joint mission to take down Archangel, but it was still business as usual, and innocents caught in the crossfire were nothing more then bullet holes. 

With a snarl, Taylor raised his hand and pulled a Vorcha off his feet, blasting him in the face with his phalanx, Miranda scowled a little, that put paid to any flanking manoeuvre they might have come up with. She reminded herself to have a word with Jacob later, but, as she caught the expression on the Commanders face, she had a feeling Shepard would beat her too it. Shepard grabbed Taylor and pointed to the other staircase, “Get up there with Massani, Now!” She ordered “Give me and Lawson covering fire and do not move from there until I tell you”

Jacob did as he was ordered silently. Knowing he had overstepped the mark, Massani shook his head a little “Better keep your head level kid, there are a lot worse places than Omeaga in the universe. You react like that all the time, you'll endanger everyone”

“What would you know about it?” Jacob snarled defensively.

“More than you think, better do what the Commander tells you.”

Miranda waited the other side of the door. Shepard moved out the door way as a bullet whizzed past her head. She had to think now, fast. She had read Miranda's file, she was indeed a powerful biotic, and if what Miranda had said about her own biotics being far more than believes, that would be useful. 

“Get on your arse!” She heard Massani yell and watched as a Vorcha exploded in a swell of blood and Promethean. 

At least someone knew what they were doing she thought. 

“Miranda,” Shepard spoke into her comms set “take cover behind that table, when I give the word I want you to hit them with your strongest warp field, give it a moment then hit them again after I start my vanguard rush”

“Yes Commander” Miranda kept her head down and did as was directed. She waited, Shepard gave her a moment or two to catch her energy, then gave the word. 

The first warp field took out two of the Vorcha advancing towards her, after a moment she felt the rush of biotic energy and timing it as the Commander wanted, she hit them with a second field, the resulting explosion sent the Krogan, Varen and remaining three Vorcha sprawling. 

Zaeed whistled under his breath and taking aim with his sniper rifle picked of the still dazed Vorcha and stared as Shepard began to fight a Krogan, she raised her knee and as he bent double, she head butted him, unslung a shotgun, a fired straight into his lowered face, back flipping out the way to let Miranda shoot and kill the last Vorcha. 

“Bloody hell Shepard” Massani muttered as he and Jacob rejoined the Commander and XO “Never seen anything like that”

“Its called thinking on your feet” Miranda reloaded her SMG and holstered it. “Although I must admit, it was a hell of an experience.”

Shepard rubbed her head, a bruise starting to form on the side of her forehead where she had head butted the Krogan. Something told her that would also be a topic of conversation for sometime. She rubbed her neck and motioned with her hand, they had a doctor to find. 

 

Finding Solus was not as hard as it seemed. They just followed the headless corpses or dead bodies along the way to the Clinic, yet when they walked into the security room it was spotless. Directed to where they would find the Salarian none of them failed to notice the mechs that stood guard with their human superior. The clinic itself was sterile and filled with scared patients, some of them with gunshot wounds others recovering from the effects of the plague, and some of them kept away from healthy patients, in isolation for their own protection as well as the other patients.

The Salarian seemed to have the goodwill of those around him, each and everyone of his patients were expressing how grateful they were to him. Shepard however, was still in for a shock when she met him. She announced herself then stared in a mix of exasperation and amusement as he went off on a tangent regarding her and her companions appearance.

“OK Doc, for the love of god man, just stop, jeez how much coffee did you have this morning. My name as I said is Commander Shepard and I need your help on a mission to find the Collectors.”

The Salarian stopped in mid speech and cocked his head, he was strange looking for a Salarian, one of his head noddles flopped over to one side and he had more than a few scars. “The Collectors?”

“Yes Doc, they are taking human colonists by the thousands, I need your help.”

“Yes, yes that would explain everything, I cannot leave yet, have to stop plague, although goals here are similar”

“Similar how?” Miranda asked.

“The Collectors want humans, the Collectors made plague and I want Collectors and Vorcha stopped, as do you. Similar goals.”

As Shepard turned to leave, the Salarian gave her an M6 Carnifax, Shepard gave a half smile as the Doc handed it over, this was a weapon and a half with a kick like a mule...for anyone unlucky enough to be on the end of it. Rare too. 

They made their way out of the clinic, now the fun really started, as they came up the stairs they walked straight into a Bloodpack meeting place, and obviously they were just waiting for any unfortunate victim, no matter their race, to walk into their domain. The smell was awful, Miranda wondered what it was, till Zaeed told her that it was the Vorcha and Krogan marking their territory. 

“Ugh” Miranda covered her nose “Just breathe in through the mouth then” 

Miranda and Calen took up position on either side of the archway, whilst Taylor and Massani took up a flanking position. At the Commanders signal, they all attacked, not giving the Bloodpack any time to recover, biotics and bullets cut a deadly swathe, and every shot was a head shot, the Vorcha regened faster than the Krogan, head-shots were the only sure way of putting them down.

It was not as easy as Calen thought it might be, they were coming out of the woodwork, and they had flamers, she ducked down as Miranda threw up a barrier to protect them from one of the flame wielding scavengers. A concussion shot from Zaeed put the Vorcha on its arse then another shot into the fuel tank made sure it ended in a bloody mess. 

They fought their way up the stairs and through more Vorcha and Krogan, eventually they were given a rest as they finished the last three Vorcha off. Miranda glanced at the Commander, she was exhausted, it showed on her face. Damn Wilson, if he had not forced her hand, then she would be starting to bring Shepard out of her medically induced coma now, not when she had. She couldn't think about that right now. She had to make sure the Commander recharged herself before her amp overloaded or something and made their job a little harder. She reached into her armour pocket and pulled out some juice and energy bars. She gave one to Jacob and one to Shepard and had one for herself, she walked over to a drinks machine and got Zaeed a juice and handed him it. They just need a few moments. The Merc nodded his thanks and kept watch down the corridor. 

Calen gulped her juice down like there was no tomorrow. Miranda frowned a little as the Vitamin C made its way down Shepards throat like someone having their first drink in days. 

“Take it easy Calen” She warned “Plenty of time.”

Finally the Commander lowered the carton and covered her mouth as she belched. She apologised and looked around her. “Its been a while since I had my biotics tested like that” She admitted. “Even when I was chasing Saren it was never that crazy.”

“Things have changed Calen” Miranda told her “I had to configure your biotics for the new L5's they are faster and more powerful but they can at first zap your energy so just take it steady”

Shepard bit into her energy bar and took on board what Miranda was saying, “So the L3's went haywire then?”

“When I managed to retrieve what was left of them, it was decided that the new L5's would aid you better, considering what I discovered about your abilities it was the better choice. I understand that Lieutenant Alenko was an L2, did he have any of the psychological pitfalls?”

Calen thought for a moment, and winced inwardly. She had not thought about Kaidan in a long time, not since Virmire, when he sacrificed his life so they could get the Salarians and Ashley away. 

“Um, Kaidan had severe Migraines, he was lucky I guess.”

“Yes he was.” Miranda agreed “I am sorry I shouldn't have mentioned him, it was just I recalled that he was L2 and you were L3, being the same age I would have thought you would have been L2”

“I would have been but Kaidan was a little older than me so once they realised the problems with the L2 I was wired with the L3's” She rubbed her neck feeling her energy return “OK lets get going. Before the Vorcha suffocate the entire district and start a mini war here on this flea pit of a star base”

They made their way through to the air conditioning only to have to fight more Vorcha. Calens first thought was that they bred like rabbits there were loads of them coming out of air ducts, air vents, from the massive fans on the walls. 

Still her dead eye and Massanis sniper eye they took care of the Vorcha high on the walkways whilst Miranda and Jacob dealt with the ones on the ground. Eventually they killed them all and made their way through to the main maintenance area. 

The Vorcha there would only say that the Collectors would make the Vorcha strong and powerful. Shepard put a bullet through his fang filled maw and ducked, once again entering into a tiring gun battle. 

They fought for most of the afternoon, putting the Vorcha down and the odd Krogan. Even when they had inserted the phials into the fans air con sockets they had to turn the power on again, and even then, when they had turned one on they had to fight their way to the next one. Eventually killing all the Vorcha around, they made their way back towards the clinic.

Zaeed heard shouting and motioned to a locked room, Miranda used her Omni-Tool and opened the doors to see a small group of maybe three of four Batarians beating up on a human in a medics uniform. She assumed this was Daniel. 

“Let him go” she told them, folding her arms across her chest.

“Why, he is bringing poison, spreading the plague more, that’s what you humans do isn't it?”

“No We have just sent the cure for the plague all through the air con, and he was trying to help you, why anyone would want to help a Batarian I will never know but some people do that. Does the word Medic not exist in Batarian culture, you know do no harm and all that?”

The Batarians looked at each other “So you here to kill us?”

“No, but you harm one hair on his head then I will kill you, let him go and I let you go. Choice is yours really”

The leader of the group looked from the human medic to the human Commander. She looked familiar and then he lowered his gun. “OK Let him go, but only because I owe you my brothers life Shepard”

“Do I know you?”

“No but you spared my brother on that asteroid over Terra Nova, funny I heard you were dead”

Calen didn't say anything. She remembered the Asteroid and the people who had nearly died because of some deranged Batarian lunatic called Balek. “What happened to Balek, still in charge I gather” She finally asked.

“I don't know, and I don't care, some of us Shepard want away from the Hegemony.”

“Your brother?”

“He was the one sent to kill you, instead he took your advice and left the Asteroid with the men he had. He's dead now, died six months later, a bullet to the head, Balek found him.”

Calen nodded a little “Sorry to hear that”

“I came here to Omega, one place I know he won't come after me.”

“Why would he want to come after you?”

“Balek always goes after the families of those who let him down.” The Batarian stopped beside her as his companions walked out “Not all of us are like that, but Humans took the power on the Citadel and are in charge now, that makes you more dangerous than we ever could be. Not all of us raid colonies either. I know your history human, I know that you were one of the survivors of Mindoir, sorry for that, and thanks for the cure”

“thank the Salarian, he made it.”

The Batarian looked around and then walked out. Shepard focused her attention on Daniel. A young kid, no more than maybe 19 possibly 20 even 21 at a push, a small goatee sat on his jaw, she jerked her head a little “Better come with me kid, the Doc needs you” and turning on her heel she walked away. 

Mordan listened as Shepard filled him in on what they needed from him and told him that the Ship had a fully functional AI called EDI as well as a lab that would suit his every need. He wanted to get started straight away but he would be there if she required him for landing duties. Daniel it seemed had been quite offended by his mentors more callous attitude towards those who threaten innocent lives. 

However, he had taken over the running of the clinic and was sending people out to help those who needed it. Calen was hungry but, she did not really fancy anything that Mess Sergeant Gardiner cooked up, especially as he also cleaned the toilets. She settled for a coffee instead, it would do, until she found something more appetising to eat. 

Besides they were off out again in an hour....to find this Archangel, then she could put as much distance between the Normandy and this place.


	8. Archangel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time to recruit Archangel, the man who had united the gangs of Omeaga in a hunt to kill him, and Calen gets more than she expected when she meets him face to face.

ARCHANGEL.

_“Dad, Dad dinners ready! Mum says to get your backside in here now”_

_The tall man laughed as he came out from under the car, covered in oil and muck, he had a passion for old vehicles her father, he liked to restore them to their former glory. Calen would help her father whenever school studies and chores allowed._

_He rested his arm round her shoulders and walked with her towards the house. John Shepard turned to kiss his daughters cheek when he was thrown forward, a gaping hole in his chest. His blood covered his daughters shirt and his bloodied hand reached for her before falling to the floor lifeless._

_Everything happened in a blur, she raced into the house, but they had the house surrounded. Hannah chucked her daughter a rifle and told her to run, taking her cousins Amy and Richard with her._

_“Mum the Baby!” She ran into the nursery and scooped her baby sister up in her arms, just as her mothers head was taken from her shoulders but a Batarian with a blade of some description, the look of horror forever frozen on her mothers face._

_Calen ran, handing her sister Julia to Amy and told her to head for the woods, Richard was the first to go, some webbing came down on top of him and caught him in a net that stunned him into unconsciousness. She shot whoever was near to her, clean kills, which was more than they gave her parents._

_She could hear Amy's shout and scrambling through the undergrowth she stumbled into the clearing they would all go to, the clearing that was now littered with the dead and the trapped. Her baby sister snatched from her cousins arms, the Batarian looked at the child then hit Amy so hard her neck snapped. He gave the baby to someone else and Calen screamed firing at them trying to reach her sister, her little sister and cursing herself for not protecting her. She killed three before she was shot and sent hurtling down into the water below_.

Shepard woke with a gasp and looked around her, several times to check where she was. The cold she had thought was the water of the Scott River was the air con in her quarters.

“Calen” She heard her name called and looked around, the holographic image of EDI appeared by her door “I am monitoring your stress levels, they have just risen substantially, are you OK?”

Calen got up and took several deep breaths “I am fine EDI, run over how we get to Archangel again?”

“The only way to get to Archangel is to be recruited at the Blue Suns point at Afterlife. They are working together with the Bloodpack and Eclipse, something unheard off”

“Hmm he must be a real threat,” Calen went into the bathroom and splashed water on her face. She listened as EDI ran down the list of criminal activities that Archangel and his mercs had disrupted. She was impressed, no wonder he had pissed off the entire criminal organisation on Omeaga. She wondered how he had managed it for so long, and would ask him, once she had got him out of trouble.

She told EDI that was all and stood staring at her reflection in the mirror. After Mindoir she had been fostered by Dr Chakwas, of her sister she never had a clue, she didn't know what had happened to the baby or indeed her cousin Richard.

She had never spoken about it, not even to Karin or Liara. After seeing that poor girl on the Citadel she wondered if that was the fate of her baby sister, to be forever locked in a cycle of abuse and violence turning her into nothing more than an animal.

She banished those thoughts as soon as they entered, it was no good thinking about that, not when she had other things to think about. She had thought about maybe contacting the Shadowbroker with regards to finding her sister and cousin, but after learning that the Shadowbroker wanted to hand her corpse over to the Collectors, that was not a good idea.

She had always kept her family close to her heart, and this had sat ill with her, not knowing what had become of her sister or cousin, maybe when she had dealt with the Collectors she would go find them.

If they were still alive.

Calen returned to bed and lay out on top of it. They would head into Omeaga at midnight, two hours from now, get this Archangel and get the hell away from this crap and head to the Citadel. She wanted to see Anderson again, something normal, something she could relate to and someone she loved dearly.

 

As the five figures made their way into Afterlife, Calen had to wonder if the place ever slept, true there was no daylight here, it was a space station with perhaps artificial daylight, there was no real sunlight to speak off. The only sound that came from the area was that blasted nightclub, whatever news they heard were speaking of problems with the council races, all squabbling now that the Humans were in charge, She glanced at Miranda and Zaeed, “Guess putting the humans in charge was not my better decision.”

“You did what you had to do Shepard” Zaeed told her “If the boot was on the other foot and it was the Turians hunting the Reapers, you can bet your last Credit they'd have done the same.”

“Zaeed is correct” Miranda agreed “When the Reapers come, and we know they are coming, we will need all the fire-power we can get our hands on. It took all of fifth fleet to defeat Sovereign and he was just one ship”

Calen went and stood by the viaduct, below a river of lava flowed across the surface from deep within the asteroids core. When she had heard Jokers radio message they had all had their say. Ashley and Wrex advocated leaving the Destiny Ascension, hold the fleet back when the Reapers eventually showed it would do the humans no good too have half a fleet. Ashley had returned to her Humans had always been alone, and the behaviour of some of the Council members had proved that during the year they were hunting Saren. Wrex, well if the council were shit heads to the Humans, they were even worse to the Krogan.

She loved her job and saving the lives of people who might not matter, but as she had said to Garrus once, what the Salarians and the Turians, and the Asari for being complacent about it, what they had done to the Krogan, was bordering on a war crime. Yes the Krogan needed to be reasoned with but sterilising them was no answer. So she could understand Wrex's feelings.

Tali had abstained, saying that she really didn't care about the council as they had treated the Quarians as second rate citizens, nomads to kick when they felt like it but, she also did not want to see people die over politics.

Liara and Garrus had said that this would make Humanity stronger and heroes if they saved they council. It had been the only bad apple between her, Liara and Garrus. Shepard made the decision, one that still haunted her now, but then if she had chosen to save the destiny Ascension then the ghosts would be the same, instead of the Councils faces the faces would be human. She hadn't done it to jettison Humanity into the prime pissing parlour, she hadn't done it because she had tired of the Councils games, she had sacrificed the Destiny Ascension because it was sound tactical acumen.

On one of her N6 training missions, the last one before she became N7, or one of the last ones, she had spoken with a Turian General by the name of Archimedias, and he had said, to her that sometimes we all have to make that decision, its not a case of the needs of the many and the needs of the few, its a case of the bigger picture. Sometimes we have to make the choices that might seem petty to others, but in the long run, it is the bigger picture, and that was why she was going to make the N7 programme, she was going to pass it, because she could make the hard choices.

Sometimes she wondered if she could have done something differently. Listening to the news now, she realised it wouldn't have mattered what she had done, someone, somewhere would have had something to say about it, negative or otherwise. Still hundreds of brave people died that day, Human, Asari, Turian and Salarian, she hoped that they had been honoured. Tapping the tailing she heaved a sigh and made her way into Afterlife.

 

The recruiter had been Batarian, he had mistaken Miranda and herself for a pair of strippers. Both women had drawn their guns and remarked that theirs were miles bigger. He had explained that Archangel was proving to be a royal pain in the arse to kill, they had taken care of his team but he was like something out of the after world, an avenging spirit, he certainly lived up to his name. He had also said that if one of them died then the others did not collect the deceased members 500 credits, they had their own armour and weapons which was good, and this did not make them members of the Blue Suns, Bloodpack or Eclipse, they were freelancers and that was that.

“Just tell us where to go” Calen grinned a little “We'll do the rest”

“Head out to the main street and swing a right and head to the main taxi rank. They'll take you to where we are fighting the arsehole.”

Calen nodded and turned to leave with the rest of her team when she was barged aside by a kid no older than 16 maybe 17 at a push. He was dressed like a street kid, one of the many she had seen on earth and other colonies.

“Is this where I sign up to hunt the Archangel.”

Zaeed laughed “You got to be kidding me. How old are you?”

“17, look I know how to handle myself, I grew up here, nothing you can tell me I don't already know and I brought this for 50 creds, what a bargain”

He proudly showed off his weapon. Calen took one look at it and taking it from his hand showed him how much he really didn't know, the weapon jammed and refused to unjam itself. “Do yourself a favour kid, get your money back and if you really want to do something, go back to school or something, Archangel is a killer and he'll shorten your life as sure as a Varren will”

She motioned with her head and they all left, the lad well he looked stunned and stared at the gun. Jacob moved to the Commanders side and stopped her as they got outside the club. “What did you do to the gun?”

“I broke the arming chamber, it was already bad, I just made sure if it.”

“Why would you do that? Street punk like that he is going to end up in a gang or dead from drugs”

“Is that what you think Taylor?” She turned to face him, the middle of her brow knotting in anger, “A kid grows up on the slum streets of Omeaga? Trailer trash? And all he's good for is gangs or drugs?” She shook her head “Miranda is right, Omeaga has been the way its been for decades and no one is going to change it, unless Aria wants it changed and she isn't about to do that. If me stopping that kid from throwing his life away for a bunch of people that see him as nothing more than meat on a slab then I for one am very very happy about it.”

She shook her head and heaved an irritated sigh then walked off. Zaeed slapped Jacobs shoulder “Nice going Lieutenant” He muttered.

Miranda fell into step next to him “Sometimes Jacob I think your mouth works out of gear with your brain.”

Jacob snorted in derision “That kid is going to be dead before he is 18”

“You don't know that Jacob, not every kid on Omeaga grows up to be a gang banger or a druggie or a stripper.”

“I'm never wrong about people like that”

Miranda shook her head and left him to himself, catching up with Zaeed and Calen they headed for the taxi rank and then out to a large apartment complex and from the sound of the gunfire, they were in for a busy time

 

He sat on the floor, catching his breath and giving himself some time to compose himself. He was tired, he was low on food and low on drinks. He was tiring and soon he was going to make mistakes. Still he would go fighting, he owed it, to them and to everyone he had ever loved and cared about.

He removed his helm and ran a hand over his head, sweat beaded his brow, his mandibles flexed once or twice. His blue eyes stared ceiling wards and he sent a silent prayer to the soul of someone he had known once. He asked the Spirits to give him the strength to do as they had done, to show that the scum that polluted the decent people of Omeaga, and contrary to popular belief, there were a lot of good people in this hell hole. It was they who had given him the nickname Archangel. He had looked it up, an old human myth about an angel or something. It seemed quite fitting. He drank from the bottled water and chewed on a protein bar. A shot whizzed passed his head and embedded in the wall.

Heaving a sigh he stared at the balcony before him, and raised his bottle to the body bags he knew was there. Drinking again he put his helm back on, reloaded his sniper rifle and began to kill again. It had been like this for days, maybe weeks or months, he didn't know any more, it was constant and time meant nothing to him. He had not slept, for to sleep would give them a chance to flank him and take him out.

He peered through his scope to see four figures that looked a little out of place here. The armour was different too, not the standard street trash that claimed to be freelancers. The silver helmed figure cut an impressive sight. A woman, human like the other one, her armour was silver with a red...what was that painted on the corner...what humans called a dragon? This was going to be trouble but they waited. What were they waiting for?

He took a moment to asses the situation, the first group had come across and he had made short work of them, this was the second group of the morning he checked his chrono, 3am Omega Standard. The quarter waited then drew their weapons, and started firing on the freelancers, he wasn't going to call them mercs, cannon fodder would have been better. But he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Especially when he heard one of the unlucky sods calls out that they were with Archangel, he had never seen them before but they weren't wrong about helping him. Spirits maybe he had done some good here after all.

The figures made their way across, three biotics and one soldier, he frowned behind his helm as the silver dragon painted armour charged across the bridge knocking anything and anyone out of the way, finishing up with a biotic slam breaking bone into tiny pieces, piercing body organs.

Maybe he was more tired than he thought, because in the years he had seen biotics at work, he had only ever seen one human biotic do that, and she was dead.

“I'm seeing ghosts now” he muttered and just to be sure he fired at the approaching the group. Tagging their shields only.

The leader looked up and shook her head then vanished, well he would find out if they were friend or foe in a moment.

He caught a movement behind one of the pillars and concentrated, as distorted voice coldly said behind him “Archangel?”

He raised a shaking finger, that distorter might work on anyone else but he knew that voice, it had been his commanders voice, the one superior officer he had any respect for. Inside he was shaking, it can;t be her, she was dead, he saw her being pulled into that worlds gravity, he saw her begin to burn up. Spirits this was a cruel joke it had to be.

As the mercs head peered round the corner he took the shot blowing their face off. He turned to see the four humans, guns raised behind him. Their leader had removed her helm. Same dark hair, same grey eyes, face a little scarred, but there was no mistaking it.

He moved to a seat and sat himself down, weariness overtaking him, and if he didn't sit down then he might fall down with shock. He removed his helm and set it to one side. Blue eyes met grey and the grey eyes widened in recognition.

“Garrus?” Calen holstered her Carnifax and vaulted the sofa “GARRUS!”

Garrus caught her in his arms and wrapped them around her, tear’s falling unashamedly down his face as he hugged her. This was his friend, his best friend, everything smelt right about her somehow she had survived, by the spirits she had survived.

“Calen” he whispered wiping his eyes quickly “I thought you were dead!”

“I was...its a long story” She stepped back a little “Damn Vakarian” she sniffed “or should I call you Archangel?”

“Hah” he uttered a weary laugh “Its just a name the people gave me, I don't really mind, it suited me and my work but its just Garrus to you.”

She nodded and turned to her team “Lady and gentlemen meet the best damn sniper this side of the galactic core. Saved my arse more than once.,”

“Not when it counted though Calen” Garrus told her “Not when you needed it.”

“Hey. Garrus, nothing anyone could have done”.She changed the subject abruptly “Tell me, how the hell did you manage to fuck off every single merc ganger on Omeaga?”

“It wasn't easy, I really really had to work my ass off to do it” He drank some more water “Tell you what Shep, I’ll make you a deal, you get me out of here and I’ll tell you all about it over a drink or two and you can tell me how you are back from the dead.”

Calen nodded and walked to the overlook “Deal” She motioned with her head “Any idea how we are going to get out of here. I would say charge it and take our chances but you old friend are in no physical shape to do that”

“No but if it gets me out of here, I’ll do what I have to do”

 

She waited in the comms room, pacing and glaring out the window. She was shaking from head to toe, angry and fearful all in one. They had started so well. They had taken out Eclipse with a little help from an altered YMIR Mech.

The Bloodpack, well they had been a tad bit harder, a Krogan that regened faster than any Krogan or Vorcha. She had left Zaeed and Jacob with Garrus, and both her and Miranda had dealt with the Bloodpack as they tried to come in through the back way. When they had locked down the doors they had returned to find the Krogan boss making his way up the stairs.

It had taken all Mirandas energy to destroy the shields and Calen had fired point blank into his head with an incendiary round, that stopped the bastard regening. Especially when both women saw him running round like a maniac as the skin slowed off his face from the head of the round.

They barely had time to breathe when the Blue Suns had attacked. Although Calen had killed the Sergeant by electrocuting him, the gunship was still a danger, she put Jacob and Miranda by the balcony as Blue Sun elite mercs made their way up. She stayed with Zaeed and Garrus, they had taken care of the elite that came into the upstairs room, just as the gunship fired two rockets hitting Garrus's position. Zaeed switched to warp bullets and Calen switched to armour piercing and together they eventually destroyed the gunship,

it was then she saw how badly injured Garrus was, the floor where he lay was pooled with his purple blood. His eyes were closed and as she turned him over, half his face was ruin.

“Garrus!” She cried out and barked at Miranda to have the Normandy have a medical team on standby and inform Chakwas what had happened. She didn't want to hear what Zaeed was saying, that he had lost too much blood, that he wasn't going to make it. “You listen to me Vakarian” She whispered in his ear “There is no Shepard without Vakarian, I’ve just fucking found you again tweety bird, don't damn well die on me now!”

She heard him take a deep gasp and reach for his rifle, moved it to his hand and stayed with him until they were back on the Normandy, she had been in the comms room ever since. She looked up as Jacob came into the room and saluted.

“Karin and Miranda did what they could for him Commander, the damge was extensive.” She kept her gaze fixed on the velvet star filled void outside, fearing the worst “Was touch and go, with some cybernetics though they did what they could however...well I have to say he is one tough son of a bitch”

Shepard looked up as Garrus made his way into the comms room to hear Jacobs last words “I was going for the new look, what do you think?”

She saw the head mask on the left side of his face, holding his face on “Well you know you were an ugly bastard before Vakarian, the scars are just going to make you that much uglier” She grinned depsite herself.

Garrus laughed then winced “Oh please don't make me laugh, even with this contraption on my face could fall off at any moment”

“Then you would be handsome”

“Oh come on, we both know women love scars and mine will be so much more dramatic than yours, means I can have the women falling all over me”

She smirked and nodded as Jacob left them alone. Garrus waited for the door to shut and stood before his friend “I saw a bar, beer?”

“I brought a couple drinks here” She handed him one “Damn Garrus its bloody good to see you again. I saw Tali three months ago.”

Garrus perched himself on the edge of the table “They rebuilt you? Miranda told me they rebuilt you”

“Yeah”

“Cerberus?”

“Yeah. Not my greatest moment but right now they are doing what they can to save the colonists”

Garrus nodded and felt her hand in his “When I saw you die...it was all Wrex and I could do to keep Liara from folding but...” his voice trailed off “This is not a conversation for here. I am going to get settled in the gun battery, see if this new girl stacks up to the old one. Could I come to your cabin later? We can talk then”

“Sure Garrus, you sure you're fit for duty? I don't want Karin chewing my arse off.”

He smirked a little “Must be good for you Calen, your mum being here”

“Yeah it is.”

“I am fit for duty Commander, whenever you need me. Shall we say 19:00?”

“Sounds good, Joker will want to be in on that.”

“He's walking better, he came down to see me a little bit ago.”

“Cerberus strengthened some of his bones. Can't correct it all but enough to allow him to walk without the braces.”

Garrus patted her hand and standing up made his way out the room, It was good to have him around again, but he wasn't the same. There was a ghost in Garrus's eyes, something haunted him, and she recognised the intuition, because when she looked at Garrus she found herself looking into a mirror of herself.


	9. A Commanders Graveyard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The remains of the SRV Normandy bring memories and realisation.

A COMMANDERS GRAVEYARD

 

Garrus, Karin and Calen stepped off the Normandy shuttle and looked around them. Hackett, that old space dog had sent a message regarding the Normandy crash site. How on earth had he known that Shepard was still alive? Even the letter from Anderson was boardering on “I don't really know if you are Calen Shepard but....” Hacketts mail had been different, he knew. She wondered if he had spies inside the Cerberus network itself. Wouldn't have surpprised her if he did, that old bugger had his hands and his fingers in most things that people didn't know about. Garrus and Karin had insisted on coming with her. Garrus wanted to pay his respects and Karin, aside from the same desire, was not about to let her foster daughter visit the SRV's gravesite alone.

 

Two shuttle pilots had come down with them, but that was to watch over the package that had sat in the Normandy lounge for a week now. Stepping out the first sight that hit them was the bulk of the vessel, the name NORMANDY staring back at them. Calen glanced at the pilots and nodded, and with Garrus and herself helping they carried the package to a spot just before the broken ships body and set it down. Unveiling it they fell silent at the memorial plague. The pilots waited a respectful amount of time then made their way back into the shuttle..

 

KARIN.

 

She had been a spacer most of her life. She had been born and raised in London England and, like most of her family had joined the medical profession. Kings College Hospital in London, a prestigious medical school as well as a working busy Hospital had a history going back centuries and that was where the young Karin trained. Unlike her family though, she had opted to join the Alliance medical corp.

Her romantic ideals of space and adventure had soon been erased with the reality, harsh as it was, of space travel. Especially after Shanxi. She had been in her late thirties when she had been aboard the SSV Folkestone one of the first vessels to attend Mindoir after the Batarians had left.

She had run to the Shepard homestead to find Jason and her friend Hannah both dead, and a stunned wet and bedraggled teenage girl, no more than 16 with enough cuts and bruises over her to cover her tanned features, sitting with her knees up under her chin glaring at the door like some caged predator. “Calen” She had whispered. She told the team with her to cover the bodies “Calen its me Karin”

The girl had not moved and only when Karin had placed a blanket around her shoulders did the girl look up, in her hand, hanging onto them for dear life was her parents love tokens. Karin had made no secret of the fact that she was taking the girl home with her. Anderson, the Commander of the operation, had agreed whole heartedly. The child needed to be with people she knew. Now years later she watched the same woman who she had raised as her own walk around the wreck site like she was in a daze. Every so often she found a dog tag and put it in a case.

Karin found the remains of her medical bay and heaved a sigh. She picked a dog tag up and read the name. Helen Lowe, there was one just off from it, Addison Chase she closed her eyes,

_“Helen come on its time to go” Karin yelled above the explosions._

_“You go doctor, I am just grabbing some essentials”_

_Chakwas nodded once “I will be in engineering, meet me there and we'll get as many of the wounded as we can off into the evac tubes”_

_“I'll be with you in a moment Doc” Helen saluted quickly and grabbed whatever emergency medical supplies she could find._

_Chakwas watched as she attended to a wounded crewman and turned her back to head for engineering when an explosion hit the mess hall and the medical bay, She went to get her nurse when she was held by Wrex,_

_“Its too late Doc” Wrex rumbled._

_Karin struggled in his arms as her nurse and the now dead crew man Chase, Addison Chase, were sucked into space, she didn't even have time to scream_.

 

Karin set the tags in the box that Calen held out for her. “You OK Doc?” She asked, her face hidden behind her helm, so the Doc couldn't read her eyes, her voice as ever in control.

“Helen had been so proud to be assigned to the Normandy. When we stole the vessel she dressed up as a pirate for the morning, do you remember?”

Calen nodded “I remember. She danced with Wrex and Pressley around the mess hall pretending they were holding the crew up and threatening to make them walk the plank if anyone dared go against the captains orders.” A chuckle emitted from the Commanders voice mic. “You pretended to walk the plank as I recall.”

“She was a dedicated nurse and Alliance soldier who knew how to have fun, even at her age as Joker had put it on more than one occasion. She could have come with me, I was heading for Engineering to aid Ashley, she chose to stay and collect emergency supplies that we would need, she stopped to help Crewman Chase. Such horrific burns on his body, he had lost an arm but was still alive, and then that ship cut through the mess hall and had it not been for Wrex I might have been sucked out with her.” Karin wiped her eyes “I will never forget the expression on her face Calen, she knew she was going to die but she reached out for me.” “Do you want to return to the Shuttle?” Calen put her arm round the docs waist, “No my dear, I have to do this myself.”

“Come join me when you are ready Mum”

Karin smiled a little and watched her foster daughter walk off. Beside her a whisper of a woman’s words in her ear _“She is the Normandy”_

“That she is Helen, that she is.”

 

GARRUS

 

The Mako was perched on a small ridge of Ice and snow, which seemed ironic in Garrus's opinion. Seeing as the amount of punishment the Commander put it through it always ended upright. He couldn't help but smile a little as he recalled the swearing that would happen whenever Shepard took the wheel. He crouched down as something shiny caught his attention. He read the dog tag inscription Tabitha Draven. He uttered a sad sigh and closed his fingers over the metal tag.

He had been a C-sec officer, failed one at that, not because he wasn't good at his job, quite the opposite in fact, but, because he always pushed to ensure Justice came for all. When he had returned to C-Sec after the attack, it had not been the same, he would sleep but the screams of the dying and wounded would always haunt his dreams, and whilst he could not give these poor souls justice, he knew where he could and who he could help. He quit C-Sec and moved to Omeaga. Plenty of criminals to fire at there. No innocents in the way, just out and out scum and that was how he liked it.

If an innocent was in the crossfire than Garrus would personally get them out the way, hell Wrex would be proud at the number of bullet wounds that scarred his body now. He glanced back down at the dog tag. Tabitha had been one of the maintenance team that had constantly checked the Mako over after each mission. Garrus had helped her on numerous occasions and a rapport had built between the two. She had told him about her home in New Orleans, he had told her about his home on Palavan. She had told him about her family, he had told her about his. They had become friends and then one night they became lovers.

_“Do you think you will stay aboard the Normandy?” Tabitha s voice had sleepily asked._

_“I want to. Shepard is a brilliant Commander and I want to be there when she finds the Reapers” he had replied and then tightened his arm around her shoulders “and I wish to explore this relationship with you. I had no idea human women were so...flexible”_

_“Not all human women Garrus” She had chuckled “but I did Yoga for years it helps”_

_Garrus was not sure what Yoga was, so he had asked her to explain. She told him all about it, its discipline and how it had helped her burn any anger she had felt at her fathers death during the reclaiming of Shanxi. He liked the sound of it and had asked her to teach him some of it. She told him that it wasn't a martial art, and he still asked her. When she fell asleep he got up and got dressed went to look over the Mako once more. There was still one more calibration needed. The old girl needed all the help it could get once Shepard got her hands on it._

_The first explosion knocked him off his feet, he was hauled up by a half dressed bleary eyes Tabitha and both of them headed for the weapons locker. The second explosion sent the quartermaster flying into the bulkhead, his head impaled on a jagged bit of metal. The Mako had begun to move and Tabitha pushed Garrus down only to be caught under the tracks and crushed. Garrus yelled her name as blood spewed forth from her mouth and was held by Ashley._

_“She's gone Garrus, there’s nothing you can do...i am sorry”_

_He could only watch as the Mako smeared with his lovers blood and guts rolled out of the exposed hanger door taking her with it. “Help me with Tali and Greg, before we all get blown out into space” Ashley brought his mind back into focus and he did as she ordered._

 

“She was always talking about you” Garrus's mind came back to the present to see Shepard standing beside him. “We had already figured out what was going on with you two and I didn't care, I thought it was kinda cute.”

“Cute?” Garrus arched an eyebrow.

“Yeah, the big bad C-SEC Turian and the Human engineer, what a romance film that would have made”

Garrus uttered a choked laugh and nodded “She was a nice woman Shepard, I liked her, she had said next earth leave she would take me to the Mississippi and show me how to fish”

“Tell you what Garr, if we get some leave to earth, I'll keep her promise for her. I know it won't be the same but...”

Garrus looked at the dog tag for a final time and placed it in the box “It will be fine Calen, she idolised you, said you were the only one who had the balls to do what no one else did. I don't think she would have minded in the slightest.” Garrus clasped his hands behind his back watched his Commander and best friend walk away.

_“Stay by her side Garrus, she is going to need you more than she will ever admit.”_ Tabitha’s voice echoed in his mind.

“On that love, we can agree” Garrus replied to the spectre at his shoulder “Rest easy and thank you for all you taught me,”

 

She had known every single crew member under her command, they were not just faces that saluted her when she walked past or would nod in greeting at her, they were her crew and she knew them all, their histories, their dreams. She had prided herself on knowing them all. Hackett had said that she was unlike any other Commander, with the exception of perhaps Captain Anderson. She cared enough about her people to want to get to know them.

Calen set the last dog tag in the box her foot hit something. Looking down she saw it, crouching now she brushed the snow and ice off and staring back at her was her battered N7 helmet. She set the box down and picked her old helmet up with shaking hands she looked it over. She put the box in her armour compartment and stood up to get a better look at it, taking her helmet off and setting it on her belt magnet she could see it better. She looked inside it and gasped as she saw the dried blood stains and other matter that had attached itself to the inside. She closed her eyes as the sound of the Normandy dying echoed in her mind.

The twenty crew that had not made it out of there. Jokers face as she slammed her hand against the release button, floating in space as the escape pods made it out and seemingly looking at her friends and lovers one. The panic that overwhelemed her as her air began to leave at a horrendous rate, feel of a bulkhead slamming into her struggling body and her air gone, the feeling of suffocation, she dropped the N7 helmet and sank to her knees.

The last thought she had before she died, the last emotion was the overwhelming fear of burning. She was burning, her skin, her suit, her hair, everything burnt away. She bowed threw her head back and screamed, bringing Chakwas and Vakarian running over. Her scream was rage incarnate, she had been at peace, she had died a horrific death but she had found peace, her parents were waiting for her, she had been with them and then yanked back, yanked back into pain and terror and pressure.

Karin knelt beside her and pulled her into an embrace, she was not crying, she was shaking and she was moaning “No no no no” Over and over again. “Why Liara, why?”

Garrus rested his hand on her shoulder and saw her hold the helmet to her chest tightly. He radioed the Normandy and told Joker that when they were aboard to head for the Citadel. Gently he and Karin got the Commander to her feet and walked with her, their arms round her. They got back to the shuttle and said one final goodbye to the SRV before they headed back to the SR1. Garrus thought he saw the ghosts of the crew salute their Commander, he thought given what he had been through on Omeaga this was his own mind, but as he met Karins blue eyes he knew that she had seen the same. The crews spirits would remain, but they were going home to their families at last.


	10. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calen and Garrus have a drink to catch up and Garrus has a tale to tell that reminds her how vunerable Commanders can be

CATCHING UP

 

Calen stood looking at the helm that now sat on her desk top. Ken and Gabby had done wonders with it, cleaned it up and mounted it on a stand. If they had felt any distaste at what had been inside the helm, they did not comment on it. The only thing Ken had said was “Rematch at some point Commander?”

Calen had given them both a half smile at that. Donnelly had said he would go easy on her after she had hinted her Skyllian Five was rusty, Garrus, Karin and Joker had said nothing and to Gabby's delight and Kens shock, the Commander fleeced him for 500 credits. Now in the privacy of the Loft as the crew called it, she ran a hand along it and decided to pour herself another drink.

She moved round to her work area and sat at the desk, picking up the picture of the SRV crew she looked at it for a moment. Everyone smiling, taken the day after the destruction of Sovereign. There had been some pretty sore heads the next day, even Calen had a hangover, mind you she had given Wrex a run for his money. 

She set the picture down and got up, not looking at the one of Liara. It hurt to think that her beloved had been part of this whole Lazarus thing, that she worked for the Shadowbroker and she had got her body back. 

She wasn't sure if what Liara had done was out of love, stubbornness or something else entirely. Whatever the reason, at some point she would have to confront the Asari about it. At the moment though there were more important things to be getting on with. 

She called out come in and turned to see Garrus walk in. he took a long look around the captains cabin and whistled to himself. 

“Much better than the old quarters on the SRV” He nodded in appreciation “More roomy”

Calen laughed and handed him a beer and motioned to the sofa then sat next to him. “How you doing Garr?”

Garrus gave her a sideways glance, it was a while before he answered, weighing up what he had wanted to say and how to say it, before it left his mouth. 

“Better than you I think Cally” He retorted and setting his beer down, turned side on “I was wondering is perhaps you were a clone, but then I saw you on Archerus and I realised you weren't a clone, not even a clone could hold those memories so vividly.”

“Understandable” Calen rested her elbow on the back of her sofa leant her cheek against her closed hand “What happened to you Vakarian? After the incident”

Garrus exhaled heavily, “I went back to C-Sec, but things weren't the same for me, it all went back into what it already had been. I was disgusted when the council ordered everything closed and filed, Sealed away as if it had never happened. Udina had ordered that one and Anderson could do nothing about it as he hadn't been appointed Humanities councillor at the time. 

The Alliance declared you dead without looking for you. Wrex and I went back but we never found your body, at the time we assumed that it had been burnt up and would have been nothing more than ash. We were wrong I guess.”

“Not your fault” Calen assured him “Nice to know you and the big guy came looking.”

“Wrex had wanted to get out of the escape pod and come to get you, Krogan redundant nervous system would have let him do that, but you'd been caught in the gravity pull of the planet and even a Krogan couldn't survive that. I have told him you're alive though. He hopes you will come see him when you get the chance.”

“Better believe I will.” Calen agreed “Glad you two stayed in touch”

“He's my friend, a royal pain in the arse but he's my friend and he was as broken as the rest of us when we thought you were dead.” Garrus looked at his bottle “I had a team, back on Omeaga”

“Tell me about it?”

Garrus drained his beer in one and reached for another “I recruited them much the same way you did when you got us all together to hunt for Saren. You had proved that shout loud enough, show you are doing something then people come to you. I had Turian, Krogan, Human, Quarian, Salarian and Batarian guys and girls working for me. Pretty sure Archos was a former STG guy.” Garrus frowned for a moment or two and shook his head clearing the memory “We did everything we could to piss the gangs off and we did. We'd lure them away from public areas into a really well defended area of snipers and crossfire, they never stood a chance.”

He drank deep from the bottle and scowled deeply, his cheeks flexed, a sure sign he was angry. Calen had learnt to read Garrus a long time ago, he might appear completely calm and in control but if you knew what to look for than you would know how to tell his mood. 

Right now he was seething, he was keeping a lid on it, but she could tell that under that outwardly calm exterior, he was like a seething volcano, he blamed himself for whatever happened to his squad, and that was a feeling she knew very well indeed, she still blamed herself for Richard Jenkins, Kaidan Alenko and the twenty dead SRV crew. 

She shut those thoughts out and concentrated on her friend, one of her best friends if she was honest, there would be those who would say humans and Turians couldn't be friends, but Tabitha rest her eternal soul had proved that love transended everything. Gender, polotics and species if it so desired. 

“What happened to them?” She quietly asked.

“We were betrayed from within” He looked up and his blue eyes suddenly went very very cold “Sidonis, a Turian I had recruited from my first days on Omega, a former C-Sec man from back in the day approached me. He was my second in command, and he betrayed us.”

“How did he do that?”

“He told me that he needed my help for a search and destroy. Drugs that were headed for one of Aria's less than legal transports. I wasn't sure about it to be honest, I mean going up against the Blue Suns, Eclipse and Blood Pack was one thing, going up against Aria? That’s a different kettle of fish as Humans put it.”

Despite the seriousness of what he was saying, she couldn't help but smile at his use of human analogies. 

“He led me away and my squad were ambushed, they never stood a chance. By the time I realised it was a ruse, they were all dead.”

“Could Sidonis have been one of those killed?”

“No” Garrus shook his head forcefully “He cleared out his bank account and was off Omeaga the same day the squad died. I let him blind side me Calen and one day I aim to correct that mistake.” 

She fell silent for a moment and picked her drink up “I'm sorry Garrus”

He nodded once and drained his beer “So there’s something I been meaning to ask you...what was that for?” He stared as Calen instinctively kissed his forehead and sat back.

“You're my friend Garrus, I just wanted to remind you of that, that’s all. Now what did you want to ask me?”

Garrus picked another bottle up and opened it. That was unexpected and not entirely unwelcome. He had admired the Commander ever since he had first met her, her dogged determination and her sense of duty. If he was honest he adored her just it didn't seem right to him to tell her any of this. 

“You mentioned Liara” He cleared his throat a slight blush creeping across his nose and cheeks “What has Liara got to do with any of this?” he gestured towards her and the cabin.

Calen rubbed her brow and heaved a sigh “She found my body Garrus and according to Miranda, she gave me to Cerberus”

“Oh come on, I mean yeah Liara was a wreck after we saw your body pulled...Liara was a wreck she would never, have done anything like that!” Garrus disbelieved it. 

“Are you sure Garr?” Calen quietly asked. “One hundred percent sure she wouldn't?”

“Well no but come Liara respected the rites of the dead of any race. I can believe she wanted to find your body but hand you to Cerberus? For their little resurrection thing? I don't believe that for one moment”

She got up and walked round to her work desk, she returned with a file that Miranda had given her, a transcript really. She had thrown those same questions back at Miranda and had been given this. EDI had also confirmed it and even though Humans lied, AI didn't, they didn't have the capacity to lie. 

She handed Garrus the file and he read it. Every so often his cheeks flexed and finally, when he had finished a deep scowl crossed his face. 

“Damn. I am sorry “he shook his head “I mean its not a bad thing Cerberus did, only you can defeat this...”

“What if I don't want to Garrus?” She snapped and turned her back “I don't feel whole any more, its like a big hole in me is missing and I don't know how to find it again. I have memories of dying, then waking up in a Cerberus facility, I find out the Illusive man is my Step Uncle and everything else I have known is turned upside down and inside out.”

Garrus set the file down and got up. He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He didn't know what to say, what could he say? He had heard stories of humans on the brink of death, seeing some white light and their long passed loved ones waiting for them, he wasn't sure if he believed that but it was a nice thought, a comforting thought but this, this was something else. She had died, the state of her N7 helm had proved that as did the scars on her face, had she found what Ash had always spoken about? A place where a soul could be at peace and reunited with those she loved? Only to have it taken away from her? 

He didn't understand that concept but he could understand the emptiness it might leave one with. He felt her lean back against him, good she wasn't being the stoic Commander, she was allowing him to hold her, cause that’s what friends did. 

“Maybe we should pay Liara a visit when you are ready and find out what her side of the story is” He suggested. 

“Oh I plan to Garrus” She snarled through gritted teeth. 

“I better go, thanks for the drink Cally. It was good to catch up”

“Thanks for being here Garr, its good to have you back.”

“The feeling is more than mutual my friend.” he kissed the top of her head and walked out of her cabin. Calen watched him go then getting undressed, ordered the lights off and got into bed.


	11. A Certain Kind of Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things on the Citadel are not the same and meeting Kasumi Goto is one reason.

A CERTAIN KIND OF HOMECOMING.

 

Shepard stepped from the cab and looked around her. The Citadel looked different, turning around on the spot she noticed that the Customs personnel were being unusually strict. She rolled her eyes as one woman explained that the new security measures were all in place to keep people safe from the Geth. 

“The Geth?” She muttered to herself.

“This,” Garrus rumbled beside her “Is Udina's doing. Anderson maybe the Councillor, but Udina is pulling the strings.”

Calen muttered something unsavoury and unladylike under her breath. Miranda turned as an Ad board called Shepards name. Calen glanced over to see the half shadowed face of a woman. 

“Please put your password in Commander Shepard and get a surprise.”

Calen turned and walked over to the add. “Silence is golden?”

“Ah good, it is you, I am Kasumi Goto, a pleasure to meet you Commander Shepard” 

“You too Kasumi.”

“I must say I thought this might be a trap but no, here you are in the flesh and blood. It will be an honour working with you, and having your help”

“Having my help?”

“With a hiest, hope you look good in a suit. Anyway shall we end this and stop talking over this, looks kinda silly.”

“What hiest is this you are referring to Miss Goto?” Calen asked, shooting Miranda an enquiring look, the XO shrugged a little, not knowing what was going on. 

“It's to get back something very personal to me, The Illusive man said...”

“I could help, yes I am sure he did, i'll see what I can do.”

The screen went blank and the voice came from behind and above them. Calen looked up and smiled a little as she saw the dark cloaked woman looking down.

“I've got my things aboard the Normandy already. See you aboard Shep, this is going to be fun”

“Fun for who?” Garrus murmured by her ear. 

The Commander exhaled a little “Come on, lets go see Anderson, I have some Dog Tags to return.”

 

They came through to Zakerra Ward, to meet Captain Alonso Bailey, a former Marine turned cop on the Citadel and someone who seemed to know how the streets worked, although Shepard doubted anything on the Citadel could be referred to as the Streets. Still after listening to how much the Citadel had changed since the attack from Sovereign and to learn that, like every place people called home, there was a hidden underworld that the press did not like to publish, she was glad there was someone like Bailey on the beat. 

He told her that apparently being dead for two years was a great tax job, and that clearing her bio-signture would mean endless hours at the tax office, so he reached under his desk, pressed a button and did it all on the spot, there and then. She liked him instantly, he was a no nonsense man that knew where his loyalties lay. He didn't seem to care what race you were from, if you broke the law, you were dealt with accordingly. 

He told her to head on upto the Presidium, he was certain that the human councillor would love to see her. Calen shook his hand and Garrus motioned to a taxi rank. They walked out of the C-SEC office and into the Citadel, parts of it Calen had never seen before. Bailey had told her that when Sovereign had disintegrated around them and broke up it had hit the Presidium but the main damage had been here on the wards. She shook her head a little. He had said that they were still pulling bodies out of the lower wards even now. 

“Sometimes the big people forget its the little people that keep the world running” Calen muttered more to herself than to anyone in particular and on the ride to the Citadel she held the box she had brought with her close. 

 

He stood overlooking the Presidium, his thoughts a million miles away from his lousy job here, wishing that he was back in Space, doing what he did best. His thoughts though were centred on the information he had received a few weeks ago from Steven Hackett. His heart had leapt into his mouth when he had read it. 

Some of Steven deep cover operatives had confirmed what David Anderson had hoped in his heart for a long time, that Calen was alive. That it was no clone, that Cerberus had found Shepards remains and rebuilt her. He had grieved for her as they all had, but he had been furious when the Arcturus Brass had refused to sanction a search for her body. In a way he supposed it was a good thing, even so, it sat ill with him that they would abandon her like that. 

She was his daughter, if not by blood then of his heart, and like any father he had been incensed that the council and humanity would not authorise a search for her body, she had saved them all for crying out loud. 

He turned as his door opened and the silver helmed woman reached up and removed her helm to reveal long black hair and grey storm cloud eyes. 

“Shepard” he smiled and crossed the space between them in a matter of moments. He drew her into a long hug and held her, his heart beating a happy stiletto. 

“Hi dad” She whispered, low so no one could hear her except Anderson. 

How long had he wanted to hear those words, they weren't spoken too often, just on the odd occasion so that he knew what the Commander thought of him deep in her heart. He stepped back and held her at arms length so he could get a good look at her. 

He scowled at the glowing scars on her cheek and her eyes, once full of life and hope had dimmed a little. Still this was the Commander, this was his Shepard, his little girl in all the ways that mattered. He lowered his arms and shook Garrus by the hand. 

“Should have known that where Shepard was, there was Vakarian” he smirked. 

Garrus laughed a little, but even that was hollow, and Anderson again had to wonder what had happened to the Turian in the two and a half years since the original Normandy was destroyed. 

“Um a memorial was placed with the remains of the original Normandy” Calen told him “And here's the tags of everyone who died.”

David took the box and opened it a little. He muttered something that sounded like a military farewell and closing the lid placed it on his desk. “The Council didn't want to see you Calen, they think you are not the same and if you were, well your interests would always lie with Humanity”

“But we are on the council now.”

“Still doesn't change anything and letting the Destiny Ascension be destroyed...well you know”

“I didn't do it for Udina or anyone else. I did it because it was the best tactical solution” Calen scowled deeply “and any one of them would have done the same damn thing if the shoe was on the other foot” 

“Still I have the authority to reinstate your SPECTRE status, if you want it.” David was apologetic “Its the best I can do at the moment.”

“Thanks Sir” She accepted what he had offered, it really was the best she would get “Anyway I didn't come to see the council, I came to see you”

“Put an old man’s mind at ease huh?”

She snorted a little and joined his side “I wanted to know why the Alliance abandoned me, and them” she motioned to the box “Joker told me that all records were sealed, everyone was sent their own way, as if it never happened...why? Good people lost their lives sir, all to be ignored not just by the council but their own people?”

The Councillor rubbed his brow and glanced at Miranda “Because someone in the now very powerful Cerberus organisation told us they would find you and they would bring you home. Just not the homecoming we were expecting. Cerberus has people very high up the chain of command and they wield an awful lot of power, isn't that right Miss Lawson?”

Miranda nodded, David Anderson had struck her as an honest man in a sea of vipers, she respected him and she could see behind his brown eyes the unspoken grief he had felt for the woman before him. Calens father had been murdered alongside her mother when she was a child. Chakwas had filled the role of mother and Anderson had become the father she had lost. She was not going to lie to him, and although it sat ill with her she could see why Cerberus had intervened when they did.

“It doesn't help that you are working with Cerberus Calen.” He added.

“The only reason I am working with them, is because no one is doing anything about the missing colonies. Anderson, the Council are doing sweet FA, just like they did with Saren, do the brass even know that the Collectors are abducting the colonists?”

“The Collectors?” Anderson rubbed his jaw and the shock was genuine. “You have proof of this?”

“Miranda”

Miranda stepped forward and holding up her omni tool, tapped it and showed Anderson the footage from Freedoms Progress. The Councillor shook his head as he saw the strange Aliens laying humans in piles. Ready to be taken aboard their vessels and...well whatever they were used for. 

“Why are they doing this? As far as I knew they only rarely ventured from the Omega IV relay and that was for whatever they needed at the time.”

“It was the Collectors that destroyed the Normandy and they are working for the Reapers” Calen told him as Miranda turned her Omni tool off and stepped back. 

“So the threat didn't die with Sovereign” Anderson rumbled “OK you do what you have to do Calen, keep to the Terminus Systems and i'll keep the jackals off your back, I’ll forward you any information I can when I get it”

“When did the Reaper threat diminish in their eyes?” She wanted to know. 

“When nothing more happened after Sovereign. They said it was Saren and the Geth all along and the remains of the Reaper? Well what with scavengers and trophy hunters it was hard to find all of it. No one except you and your team spoke to Vigil on Ilos, when we sent a team there, he was gone,”

“I spoke to a Prothean VI” She glared “I know what I heard Anderson, I know what was told to me”

“But you were the only one who heard it” Anderson rested a hand on her shoulder “Calen I have never doubted you. I love the fact you are standing before me and alive, no matter how they did it, they did it. I believe you, but not everyone does, they don't want to and that child is the crux of it all. Its easier for them to believe it was a rogue Turian and Geth, than some super intelligent Machine AI capable of destruction on that scale.”

Calen was about to answer when a shocked voice spoke her name and she saw Udina staring at her. “Shepard! What are you dong here, I heard you were in the Terminus...”

“What’s the matter Udina? Seen a ghost?” Calen did not bother to hide her disgust for the man and took a little something for herself “How is being the Councillors assistant treating you? Must be a real pisser to know its Anderson at those meetings and not you standing there. I did warn you that nobody stabs me in the back”

Anderson raised his hands for peace “I asked Calen to come here, you can inform the council that I have reinstated her SPECRTE status”

“What? Councillor do you know what shit storm this will cause?”

“I do not answer to you Udina” Andersons authoritative tone rang loud and proud “Now I am sure you have work to do and you will address me as Councillor when you come into my office and not Anderson!”

Udina struggled for a moment and turning on his heel walked out the room. “Prick” Calen muttered and picked her helmet up “It was nice seeing you Councillor.”

“Remember Calen, I believe in you, so does Hackett, if nothing else believe that”

She nodded and saluted him then walked out “I want a drink” and without waiting for an answer she headed back to the wards.


End file.
